


The Way Forwards is the Way Back

by LizzieHopscotch



Category: Labyrinth (1986), Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs
Genre: Crossover, Drama, F/M, Family Drama, Gen, Romance, WIP, but then the story changed and became something else, name change!, previously blade of the champion, so the title didnt make sense, this is becoming less less dark jareth as i write it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-05-17 05:24:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5855791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzieHopscotch/pseuds/LizzieHopscotch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the fire that destroyed their home, Sarah and Toby go in search of their Half-Sister Jesse hoping for a fresh start. Instead what they found was their missing mother. </p><p>After things boil up between Sarah and Christy a wish is made and Sarah finds herself back in the clutches of a certain Goblin King</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh god. What even. 
> 
> So this had been rattling round my head for a while and I'm hoping that by putting it up here I'll encourage myself to finish writing it. 
> 
> It could go either really well or very bad. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> LizzieHopscotch

For Sarah, her encounter with the Labyrinth was not her first brush with the supernatural. She had known about it her entire life after all, that something else existed in the dark places.

She never knew her birth father, but that never mattered much to Sarah. Others tried to get her to talk about it, and when she reached her teens a lot of people attributed it to her less than social behaviour. They would be wrong, but it didn’t stop them.

When she was 6 months old, her mother married for the first time, and when she was two years old her sister was born.

They were married for twelve years before the inevitable divorce. Sarah held her sister’s hand as their lives were packed up in boxes and shoved in a van.

Jesse’s father, Sarah was always careful to think of him as such, and Christy always reminded her of it. Not that she would say so in his hearing, as Adam had always treated Sarah as one of his own.

He was a good man, that Adam, Sarah would be sorry to lose him as family.

On the day they left, Adam held his girls tight and told them to take care of each other, before letting them go.

For Sarah that was a promise, and it was one she kept the best way she knew how, and that was by encouraging Jesse to stay with Adam as much as she could. He was an Alpha, protection was what he knew best.

Sarah thought it was safer, especially as in her unmarried state Christy had an unfortunate habit of picking unsavoury men.

Luckily this only lasted a few months before she met Robert, a one night stand that ended with Toby and rush wedding.

By the time Sarah made that wish she was exhausted.

She was worried about Jesse, about the pinch marks on her arms and the memory of the man that crept into her bedroom.

It was only luck that had Sarah getting a glass of water and catching him.

She shipped Jesse to Adam the very next day.

She was worried about Toby now as well, she recognised the signs of Christy’s collapsing relationship and knew that sooner or later they would be without stability once again. And this time Toby would be the vulnerable one, a baby left in a teenagers care while their mother went out looking for her next big break.

Somewhere in her heart Sarah came to the conclusion that Toby would be better off without all that and the wish was made.

When Jareth appeared to her, it was only the existence of Adam and her pack that convinced her this was not a hallucination, and the remembrance of her promise that gave her the courage to keep fighting.

When the fae came out the next month, she blinked and kept moving, making sure that Toby’s cot was dissembled and packed correctly.

The next two years were spent in an apartment building. It was nice there, Robert’s estate and Adam’s monthly payments made sure that Christy was comfortable and looked after as she went out and looked for husband number three.

Sarah’s studies dropped, she got a part time job and focused more on taking care of Toby.

At the age of 17, Sarah worked and studies all hours. Christy told her she wasn’t going to help Sarah go to college, not that it mattered anymore given her grades. Now Sarah worked so that when she turned 21 she could claim custody of Toby and get him away.

On weekends she would work on commission at a jewellery store, and at night she waitressed at a bar.  

Well, she said waitressed.

She means she walked around in a skimpy bikini top and hot pants carrying large trays of shots.

The tips were good, better if she bent over often enough.

She made it home in time to check in on Toby and maybe do some studying. If she was lucky she would get a few hours sleep before it started all over again.

She never checked on Christy, it wasn’t uncommon for her to be gone for two or three days. Once she had vanished for two weeks and Sarah only found out when she arrived home from work one evening to an empty flat and a message  from old Mrs Kendle three floors down, saying that she had found Toby sitting at the door and had taken him in for the evening.  

After that Sarah made sure Toby got to school every day, and that she was home in the evening even though it meant cutting down on her hours.  On the weekends she asked Mrs Kendle to take care of him. Sarah had no idea if Christy even knew about the arrangement.

Or cared.

-!-

“Have you called Sarah?” Adam asked on Christy’s second day in the Tri-Cities. It shamed him a little that he hadn’t thought to ask earlier.

“No, and even if I did she wouldn’t pick up. Something went wrong with that girl, Adam. She’s never home, is out all night. She’ll be fine.”

“And Toby?” Adam prompted. He didn’t think much on Christy’s last child, but Jesse mentioned him a time or two.

“My neighbour takes care of him for me, when I’m away. He’s much better off there than here.”

Adam nodded and accepted it, although when he repeated those words to Jesse later she laughed and told them that Sarah was always working, saving desperately to go to college. The words ‘to get away from Christy’ remained unsaid.

That shamed him too, that both girls should have such a poor opinion of their mother.

-!-

Sarah was at work when she was called about the fire.

When she got to the building the top floors were engulfed in flames, and people were stumbling out from the smoke.

“Toby!” she shouted. “Toby!”

She fought her way through the crowd of onlookers, some concerned some just gawking at the spectacle, until she was near the tape cordoning off the area.

“I’m looking for my brother!” she called to the closest person in uniform. They turned away from her, too focused on watching the blaze than to help her.

This was Fireman Gareth Lichtman’s second call out this shift.

The first was simple, a shed fire caused by a dad not putting out his cigarette. It happens. The fire was out in minutes and then they left. Job done.

Lichtman had never seen a blaze as big as the one he was seeing now.

It wasn’t clear on which floor it started, but it now engulfed three storeys, trapping those on the top floors. Firemen used ladders and cherry pickers to get up there and try to evacuate those floors, but the structural integrity of the building was becoming compromised. Soon there would no longer be individual levels just a giant hole through the middle of the building.

He was glad to be on crowd control, he couldn’t bear the thought of his wife and child being told he wasn’t coming home.

It was time, he knew, to get a new job.

“Please!” a girl shouted. “I need to find my brother!”

She was fighting against two of his men, eyes wild and hair in disarray.

“Miss! Miss please calm down, you can’t go near,” Ashworth tried to calm her down but she wasn’t having any of it.

“What floor?” Lichtman asked before she could go on a tirade.

“I don’t know. He was meant to be staying on the sixth floor but he could have gone up to the apartment on the ninth. Please I have to find him,”

She started to cry.

Lichtman didn’t want to tell her that those were the floors where it started.

Instead he led her over to the ambulances, where people were being treated from the fire.

“Perhaps your brother is here,” he suggested, and left her there.

Behind them the fire reached its peak.

Toby wasn’t near the ambulances.

-!-

Sarah sat on the kerb as the fire was finally put out.

A lot of people were dead.

She couldn’t find Toby.

She couldn’t stop crying.

“I wish-”

No.

Stop.

Not that word.

“Toby…” she moaned, head in hands.

The crowd was thinning now, the fire was out no more spectacle.

She was alone.

All alone.

She couldn’t find Toby.

She couldn’t find Christy.

Jesse was with Adam thank goodness.

“I---Toby---”

She grasped the blanket some well-meaning paramedic had given her.

She couldn’t stop shivering.

She could hear the ever present noises from the shadows. A high pitched keening in time with her own sobs.

A lot of people were dead.

More would die at the hospital.

She couldn’t find Toby.

“What on earth has happened here?”

A raised voice, an elderly woman demanding explanations.

“My home is gone! Where am I going to go now?”

She supposed she could go to the Tri-Cities. She didn’t think Adam would turn her away, despite the fact that she hadn’t seen him since she was twelve. Jesse said he was married to Mercy, the mechanic next door, now.

Happy.

Sarah didn’t think she would ever smile again.

“How am I going to look after the boy?” a curse, the same woman, something about her hips and energetic four year olds with no good sisters.

“Toby?”

A desperate word, a hope, a plea.

_Don’t let him have been inside._

“SARAH!”

A warm weight hitting her chest, the smell of kids shampoo and _Toby_.

He’s here, he’s okay.

Not alone.

She held him close and looked behind him at the goblins.

_Protect him_.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks later found Sarah and Toby outside a nice house in Finley.

Toby had never been here, but to Sarah it didn’t look like things had changed much.

There were a lot of cars parked outside.

Sarah took a breath, hiked her backpack higher on her shoulder and took Toby’s hand in a firm grip.

“Where’re we Sarah?” Toby asked sleepily. He’d been sleeping on her shoulder but she’d woken him as they approached the house.

He hadn’t spoken much since the fire and stuck to Sarah like glue. Everything that was in Sarah’s bag was what they had left.

They still hadn’t heard from Christy.

“We’re here to see Jesse, Tobes.”

“An’ Adam?”

Toby only knew Adam from stories, but what he knew he liked.

“Adam too.”

“’kay.”

Toby stayed behind her as they made their way up to the house.

In the weeks since the fire Toby and Sarah had been busy. An old associate of Robert’s, his paralegal Karen, had taken them in and had all the papers drawn up for the insurance company. The cause of the fire remained a mystery, all the investigators had managed to determine was that it began in Sarah and Toby’s flat. There were no traces of accelerants, or faulty wiring, nothing. The insurance people were trying not to pay, but Karen promised she’d harangue them into it.

Sarah believed her.

Karen also drew up another set of papers for Sarah. A credit card payment in Portland the day before the fire told them that Christy was out of town, and presumably still alive. Sarah hadn’t known she wasn’t there, and as it was the weekend Mrs Kendle had decided to treat the young boy to some ice cream.

Sarah blessed Mrs Kendle every day in her thoughts.

The legal papers were for Christy. If they ever ran into each other, she would sign them. 

Now though, Sarah had to know Jesse was okay, which meant knocking on the door.

She hadn’t seen Adam since the divorce.

The door opened before they got there.

“What do you want?” said the man in front of them with an angry British accent.

Sarah hesitated.

She knew, intellectually anyway, that there would be pack members who would have no idea who she was and could be openly hostile.

“Well?” a sarcastic smirk reminiscent of Jareth.

She wanted to smack him.

“I’m looking for Jesse.” She said, proud that her voice didn’t shake.

“You look too old to be a friend from school. Who are you?”

“I’m Sarah, this is Toby,” Toby waved shyly beside her. “Jesse’s our sister.”

“Bullshit.”

Sarah’s eyes went cold.

“What part? I can say it again if your ability to detect lies is so miniscule.”

His upper lip curled as he snarled at the impertinent chit in front of him. The porch fence creaked as if weight had suddenly been added to it.

“Ben?” A female voice called. “Who’s at the door?”

“Some chick who says she’s Jesse’s sister,” Ben said, derision clear in his voice.

“Sarah!”

Scrambling from inside and a dark skinned woman practically pushed the werewolf from the door frame. Her dark eyes took in the siblings, fixing on Sarah’s face. Jesse had shown Mercy a few pictures of her sister since she had left, but they were old.

Apparently she had no patience for photographs after she turned fourteen.

Her face was thinner than Mercy remembered, her green eyes flat. The toddler hid behind her, but she could smell the exhaustion on both of them.

“Mercy?” Sarah said. She hadn’t seen the woman in five years, and even then her memories were spotty. Christy had deemed the mechanic a bad influence and had encouraged her children to stay away from them.

“Oh Sarah! We were so worried!”

Mercy drew the girl into an embrace, Sarah’s arms flapping uselessly by her side before she rested them gently on Mercy.

It had been a while since her last hug from someone older than her.

“Come inside, Ben call Adam. We’ll get you some food and tea.”

“I just want to know where Jesse is,” Sarah said, helpless as she was dragged inside. Instinctively she picked up Toby and held him close.

“She’s at Christy’s right now, but she’ll be home soon and then-“

“Adam is on his way,” Ben interrupted, plonking himself down next to Sarah at the kitchen table.

Sarah only nodded, not having heard much since Mercy said that Christy was here.

“Mom here?” Toby asked, tugging on Sarah’s sleeve.

“Isn’t that why you came? Because she called you?” Mercy asked, her smile faltering as the smell of pain grew.

“It looks that way, Toby. That will be good, huh?” Sarah said.

The boy’s face, previously taking everything in with the unabashed curiosity of the very young, closed in on itself and he sank low in his seat.

“She won’t be here tonight,” Ben said.

“Adam will tell her.” Sarah replied. “He’s too good to do otherwise.”

She held her hands in her hands and ignored the tray of brownies Mercy placed in front of her.

“Jesse’s okay?” she asked suddenly.

“Yes, she’s fine,” Mercy answered. “Why?”

“Good. Right. Okay. That’s what I needed to know.”

She stood from the table, hooking her and Toby’s bags over her shoulder.

“Time to go, Toby, say thank you to Ms Mercy.”

“Thank you Ms Mercy,” he repeated dutifully.

“You can’t go yet!” the woman in question protested. Ben stood as well, prepared to stop them if Mercy told him to.

“I’m afraid we have to. Karen set us up to stay with a friend of hers, and we’re already late to meet them.”

She all but marched through the house, ushering Toby out through the front door.

“Will you at least come for dinner tomorrow?” Mercy said as they reached the rental car.

Sarah waited to answer until she had Toby fully strapped into his seat in the car, and she was in the driver’s seat.

“Maybe,” she said, driving off down the road and past a speeding SUV.

She headed towards West Richland, keeping her eyes peeled for the address Karen had given her. Eventually she spotted the large house and the brightly coloured man standing outside it.

“Hi,” he said as they got out the car. “I’m Kyle.”


	3. Chapter 3

He was not what Sarah was expecting in a Lawyer. Karen had told her he was a flamboyant man but the statues were unexpected. He had, at least, dressed them in preparation for his guests. Their names were Dick and Jane, both wearing jaunty hats upon their heads. He didn’t ask Sarah any questions, simply showed them to two guest rooms and encouraged them to settle in before Dinner.

Sarah emptied Toby’s bag as the boy swung his legs on the edge of the bed. She placed the new clothes Karen had bought them in the drawers and the pyjamas next to Toby on the bed. Finally she reached into her own bag and pulled out a battered bear before giving him to Toby.

It had been luck that had saved poor Lancelot from the inferno that had enveloped their home. Toby had had the bear with him when he went to spend the day with Mrs Kendle, and had refused to leave him behind when they had gone for ice cream. It was the only precious thing they had left.

“Where’s Jesse?” Toby asked.

“She’s at home right now, with Adam. We might see her tomorrow.”

“Oh,” he hugged the bear close.

“It will be alright, Tobes, don’t worry. Tonight though we’re going to stay with Mr Kyle. He seems like a lot of fun, doesn’t he?”

“I want Jesse.”

“Tomorrow, Toby, alright. Just…let’s get some rest first alright?”

“I want Jesse!”

His face scrunched up and started crying, throwing Lancelot away from him and slamming his fists on the bed.

“Oh Toby please!” Sarah huffed, picking Lancelot up from the floor.

Instead of stopping instead he wailed louder, shouting for Jesse.

“Enough! Okay, I know you want Jesse, but she’s not here!”

“It’s not fair!”

“No it’s not, but that’s the way it is,” Sarah tried desperately, tears of her own starting to drip down her face.

It continued on that way for quite a while until both siblings were sitting on the floor sobbing. It wasn’t even about Jesse anymore, although they both desperately wanted to see her. It became more about what they’d lost, a home, their things, and, although they would never admit it, crying for their mother as well.

-!-

Kyle sat downstairs holding Warren’s hand. He wanted nothing more than to go and comfort them but he knew some things had to be dealt with privately. The girl, Sarah, she looked as though she’d been holding in her emotions for a long time. It would be good for her to let some of them out. And then the boy, Toby, he was only a little lad, unlikely to be trusting of anyone but his sister.

No, it would be best for them to let it all out together, and then he could serve them dinner and try and cheer them up.

And maybe, if he was lucky, he would be able to learn just why they weren’t staying with their family.

He had been with Warren when the wolf had received a phone call from Adam, telling him to be on the lookout for the two children.

Kyle knew that Adam would never hurt one of his own so he couldn’t understand what had driven Sarah to run from him.

Unless she was afraid.

That struck him as wrong though. The girl with the cold green eyes didn’t look like she was afraid of much.

Except losing Toby.

Warren hadn’t told his Alpha they were here yet, though he would have to soon. He was hoping that since he hadn’t actually _seen_ the children yet, he could hardly know if they were the right ones.

They were though. He knew that.

“We’ll find out what’s going on,” Kyle said firmly. “Karen told me that Sarah had some papers with her, I’m sure those will explain at least a little of what’s going on.”

“I hope so,” said Warren, his Texan twang becoming more pronounced as the crying continued. He could hear it much more clearly than his Kyle could, and it hurt his ears and heart.

He hoped those papers would explain something. He would hate to have to tell Adam he had no idea why Warren had to listen to a girl Adam loved as his own daughter cry so hard and loud.

-!-

They came down eventually, cheeks red and puffy eyes, but together they came down to eat dinner with them.

Kyle had introduced them to Warren as a close friend. Sarah had raised an eyebrow at that and shook her head slightly as if to say _how dumb do you think I am?_ Kyle reddened slightly at the look but it was habit that made him introduce Warren as such. Some people were perfectly fine with him being gay in theory but when confronted with it they tended to act a bit skittish.

It was annoying.

The siblings ate in near silence, Toby only talking quietly to his sister, and Sarah only answering direct questions.

It was only after the dishes had been cleaned, and Toby was getting ready for bed, that Sarah approached Kyle with a sheaf of papers.

“I’m sure Karen mentioned these to you. Would you please look at them?”

“I’ll do my best, but Sarah, Karen did tell you I’m a divorce lawyer didn’t she?”

“She did. Those have all been written up by Karen. I just…I don’t know. Please look at them?”

“Alright, I’ll look at them.”

“Thank you,”

She hurried up the stairs to tuck in her brother, and Kyle sat down to open the file.

The first set of papers appeared to be a bunch of financial statements, the second a series of incidents.

By the time he reached the last papers a sick feeling had settled in his stomach.

-!-

Sarah settled next to Toby on the bed, smoothing down the duvet and making sure he had a firm hold of Lancelot.

“What story would you like today, Toby?”

“Goblins!”

“Goblins hm?” Sarah thought for a minute. Toby loved tales involving goblins, and thanks to her friends from the Labyrinth she had a ready supply. She tried not to think about what his fascination with the goblins might mean, that he might _remember_ something, even if it was only an impression. Then again, in a strange way, her memories of the Labyrinth were some of her most treasured.

“Did I ever tell you the story of the Annual Goblin Army Parade?”

Toby shook his head.

“Well, once a year, when the first Summer moon had set, the greatest of the goblin warriors would parade through the Goblin City At The Centre Of The Labyrinth. They would dress in their finest clothes of blue and red and green and silver and gold, until the entire city was awash in the brightest of hues. They would march round and round and round, swords at their hips and spears raised high.

It was only when the sun was at his highest that the Goblin King would emerge from the castle. His armour of dark blue gleamed and his hair was like burnished gold. He would hold his riding crop in gloved hand and demand to know the meaning of such an event.

The Great Goblin General, or Gee as he was known affectionately, would stand proudly in front of his troops and announce that this was a parade, and didn’t it please the king to see his army in such good shape?

And the Goblin King would laugh and conjure crystals in his hands, spinning them gently. The assembled goblins held their breath and waited, not knowing whether they would be bogged for the noise or if stardust would rain from the sky. Their King let them wait, because he was a rather lazy King and didn’t like being woken up before midday.

But then, he threw the crystals up in the air and glitter rained down on the soldiers. The very stone of the city itself began to shine, and the colours of the army grew to be so much more, so that imprints of them began to be left behind whenever the soldiers moved. Several of the faster ones began to move in patterns, dancing around the square to create marvellous strokes of colour. It was like when you hold a sprinkler, and if you move _just right_ you can write your name and have it linger in the night sky. Music began to play, conjured from the very air itself, and a great game began between all the inhabitants of the Goblin City.

They would leap from building to building, through windows and swing from street lamps. No one was quite sure what the rules of the game were, but it was clear that it didn’t matter. All that was important was enjoying the burst of colour and proving, while they may not be the largest nor the most organised army in the Underground, they were without a doubt the most agile and spirited.

And throughout it all, the Goblin King was in the centre, singing and dancing, throwing Goblins into the air so that they would swim in the colourful rays. And this would go on and on until the sun finally set and the second moon of Summer rose in the sky.  Then the army would disappear back into the barracks, ready to be called out to defend their homes.

The End.”

Toby smiled sleepily at her, buried underneath the duvet.

“What’s his name?”

“Who?”

“The King.”

“I’ll tell you another time, okay? Sleep now, Toby.”

She turned out his light and shut the door softly behind her, waiting just a moment before joining Kyle and Warren downstairs.

-!-

Kyle and Warren sat together on the sofa, the papers in front of them on the table, looking at Sarah.

“Do you understand why I needed you to look at the papers?” asked Sarah quietly.

“Sarah, before you say anything else, there’s something you need to know.” Warren said. “You see, the thing is,”

“You’re a werewolf and you belong to Adam’s pack.” Sarah finished. “I’m not daft. Jesse’s told me enough stories about the wolves in the pack that I can make connections.”

“You knew that before you got here?”

“We don’t have many places to go. And Karen said that Kyle was trustworthy. She wouldn’t have recommended this as a place for Toby to stay otherwise. When did you tell Adam we were here?”

“While you were putting Toby to bed. I managed to convince him to wait until tomorrow but he’s not happy about it.”

“I wouldn’t expect him to be. But he’d have told Christy we were here and I can’t-“ she broke off and swallowed hard.

“You didn’t know she was here? Everyone thinks she called you and that’s why you came.”

“I’ve not spoken to her since she disappeared two and half weeks ago.”

Warren groaned and leaned back.

Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a clusterfuck.


	4. Chapter 4

In a house on the other side of the city another conversation was taking place.

Around the kitchen table, tentatively eating breakfast sat Adam, Mercy and Jesse. The Pack had made itself scarce for once, allowing the family to discuss the new arrivals. Even Darryl and Auriele had made themselves scarce. The only sound was the scraping of forks over plates.

Mercy kept looking between the father and daughter, wondering how to bring up the subject of Sarah. It had been a long time since she had been here after all, and now she was here, and not under auspicious circumstances. Adam kept misunderstanding the glances Mercy was giving him, and was now worried that she was thinking of leaving. It was ridiculous of course, she was the most loyal person he had ever met. And yet there was that little niggling in his brain. It was one thing to accept a daughter of his own flesh and blood, but one he had no relation to? Some women would find that hard.

Jesse was just waiting for the meal to finish so she could go to Kyle’s. Sarah’s mobile number had changed, but Jesse had been there when Warren phoned. She hadn’t seen her siblings in what felt like forever, particularly since Adam got sole custody of her.

Adam put his fork down with a sharp clink.

“I want Sarah to be able to live with us,” he said decidedly.

“I agree,” said Mercy.

“You do?” said Adam.

“Of course!” Mercy hesitated. “You didn’t see her yesterday, Adam. Somethings…not right.”

Adam hung his head. He should have pushed it more with Christy, but she had always said that Sarah didn’t want to see him, despite Jesse telling him the opposite. He’d just accepted it, and then when Toby had come along he’d stopped altogether.

“We can talk about it with her when she comes over for dinner.” Jesse said. “I hope she stays. I’ve missed her.”

“Speaking of dinner…” Adam began.

“You have got to be kidding,” Jesse interrupted.

“She’s her mother, she’s entitled to be here,”

“Entitled?? She didn’t even tell Sarah she was here and now all of a sudden she wants to be involved?” Jesse asked incredulously.

“None the less. She will be here.”

Jesse opened her mouth, ready to let him know _exactly_ how awful this was going to go, when the door went.

The trio looked at each other, no one in the pack knocked or rang the bell, they’d just walk straight in.

“I got it,” Jesse said, getting up from the table to walk to the door.

It was a salesman.

She shut the door.

Returning to the table she took a deep breath.

“Sarah wants nothing to do with Christy. And this has nothing to do with the fire, but a whole tonne of other stuff. If Christy is here, there is no way that Sarah will stay. None.”

“I can’t stop her from seeing her own daughter,” Adam repeated.

“She’s only doing this because she thinks it’ll make her look better,” Jesse returned, growing angrier with Adam for his refusal to listen.

“She’s still your mother, Jesse, and you need to support her,” said Adam.

Jesse shook her head. “And what about supporting _Sarah?_ Whatever, I’m going to Kyle’s.”

She stalked off to her room to grab her things.

“I’ll drive her over,” Mercy said quietly, gathering the plates.

“I have no control over what Christy does or doesn’t do,” Adam muttered as he helped her.

Mercy stared at her husband. He never muttered. He also didn’t believe what he’d just said. She kept her hands busy with the dishes, her brow furrowed. Jesse hardly ever talked about her half siblings, and she barely mentioned Christy in conjunction with them. In fact if she could Jesse would choose to avoid her mother completely.

“Maybe,” Mercy said slowly, testing her words. “Christy being here will be a good thing.”

The plate in Adam’s hand splashed back into the sink. 

“What? You’ve never said that. I’m not sure you’ve ever _thought_ that!”

“Hey, don’t be mean. I thought it was a good thing the first time she was here.” Mercy protested. “I just…there’s something not right here, you can see that too right?”

Adam nodded slowly.

“I don’t know what it is though,”

“Which is why Christy being here will be a good thing. All the players in the room.”

Adam met his wife’s eyes and kissed her quickly.

“Such a cunning wife I have.”

“Damn straight.”

^?^

Mercy dropped Jesse off at Kyle’s on her way to work. Before she drove off she got to see the teenager be tackled round the legs by a toddler, quickly followed by Sarah drawing them both inside.

“Sarah I’m so glad to see you!” Jesse held her big sister tight. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No no, we’re fine. And you, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I was kept out of it mostly.”

“It? What exactly was _it_?” demanded Sarah.

“Um…Mom slept with an ancient Volcano deity who went bug-nuts and tried to kill everyone in an attempt to win fair maiden?”

“What does it say about me that that doesn’t sound all that implausible?”

“That you’re a sensible person with an open mind?”

“I’ll accept that.”

“How wonderful.”

A cough in the doorway reminded them they were in fact in someone else’s house.

“Kyle!” Jesse grinned at the lawyer and moved to hug him. “No Warren today?”

“Hello hon, and Warren’s doing some PI work.” Kyle drew back. “How are you doing?”

“Better now that’s Sarah’s here.” Jesse replied honestly. She looked to Sarah. “Why didn’t you come sooner?”

“There were some…problems.” Sarah said carefully.

Jesse looked between Kyle and Sarah and decided not to say anything. Instead she focused on Toby who had yet to let go of her leg.

“And what have you been up to little man?”

“Missed you,” Toby mumbled into her jeans.

Jesse lifted him into her arms.

“I missed you too.” She said and cuddled him close.

The four of them moved into the main area of the house, where Kyle sat at the table and went over Sarah’s documents again, while the two sisters kept the toddler happy. Which took effort. A lot of effort. So much in fact that when the clock struck five o’clock Sarah felt rather relieved instead of sick.

^?^

Kyle pulled up outside Adam’s house, Jesse hopping out and waiting for them on the curb. Kyle twisted to look at Sarah in the back.

“We can still go back if you want?” he offered.

Sarah smiled at him, before unclipping the last strap on Toby’s car seat.

“Sadly, I don’t think Jesse will be too happy with us if we do.” Sarah said, pulling Toby out of the seat opening the door to join Jesse.

“Into the breach?” Jesse asked when they joined her.

“Right now I’m so frazzled I can’t even think of the appropriate response,” confessed Sarah.

“Okay that’s scary,” Jesse held Toby’s hand, and the two lifted him up the porch steps, his legs kicking out. The door opened as they reached the top.

“Sarah!” Christy ran out, sweeping her eldest up into a hug, forcing her to let go of Toby’s hand.

“Mom.”

“Oh I was so worried, when I heard the apartment went up and no one could find you-”

“You didn’t answer your phone.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t! I was so worried it was Juan that I never answered my phone.”

“Even after he was gone? I know you changed your number,”

“Let’s not talk about that now, we have a nice dinner for everyone.” Christy looked down and smiled at Toby, only just now noticing his presence.

“Oh my, Toby, you’ve grown!”

_Children do that._

“Come in all of you! I made a wonderful pork shoulder for everyone. And there’s tart for dessert.”

“Sounds great, mom!” said Jesse, trying to break up some of the awkwardness.

They shuffled inside, Adam holding the door open for them. Just as he shut the door, and the others had moved into the dining room, Kyle hung back slightly.

“I feel it’s only fair to warn you,” Kyle said in response to Adam’s raised eyebrow. “I’m here as Sarah’s lawyer.”

^?^

Dinner was…awkward. In addition to the Hauptmans, Christy, Kyle, Sarah and Toby, there was also a few pack members present. Sarah knew all of them which was a relief, Ben and Warren she’d met the day before. She was less thrilled to see Darryl and Auriele whom she remembered to be staunch Christy supporters. Jesse and Mercy carried most of the conversation, with Christy interjecting here and there, ever the good hostess. Sarah was more concerned with Toby, making sure his meal was in Toby-bite-sized pieces. Christy had just served up a slab.

It was only when the dessert was served that the trouble started. With nary a care in the world Christy breezed through the room, serving dessert to everyone. Sarah wasn’t paying attention, trying to subdue the knot of anxiety in her stomach, that she missed the strawberries on her plate until she was eating them.

 _Oh shit_.

“Toby don’t eat-”

Too late, Toby began choking on the strawberries, his throat and tongue swelling up. Forgetting the wolves in her room, Sarah acted immediately, holding Toby still while she dug any remnants of the dessert out of Toby’s mouth.

“There’s an epi pen in my bag. Get it.” Sarah told the room at large, her bag had been left in the hall at Christy’s insistence. “Toby, listen to me, you’re going to be okay, breathe me with okay?”

Toby hiccupped, tears streaming down his face. “No, no, don’t cry, it will only make it worse,” Sarah begged him, knowing it was futile.

Toby was terrified.

“Here,” Ben shoved the epi into Sarah’s hand. She took it and pressed it into Toby’s thigh, desperately waiting for the click.

“I called Samuel, he should be here in a few minutes.” Mercy said from the other end of the table. “He’s a doctor, he’ll be able to help.”

Sarah wasn’t listening, instead she was watching Toby, making sure his breathing eased. Jesse brought over some tissues, and Sarah set about wiping the snot and tears from Toby’s face. 

“Oh my goodness, I had no idea, oh _Toby_ ,” Christy came up behind Sarah, sounding so distraught that Sarah almost pitied her.

“Didn’t realise? Sarah carried round an _epipen_ for him and you had _no idea?_ Are you serious?” Jesse demanded, her usual calm demeanour completely shattered. It was when she lost her temper that people realised she inherited more from Adam than just his sense of fair play. Christy backed away from them, hurt all over her face.

“I think that perhaps we should calm down,” Kyle said, moving to place himself between Sarah and Christy. “I know there were things Sarah wanted to discuss with you tonight.”

“A-alright. I’ll just…clear the table shall I?” Christy said, moving to do just that. Auriele and Darryl helped her, silently stacking the dishes. Auriele was watching her friend with a new sense of suspicion.

Sarah ignored it all, until Kyle put a hand on her shoulder.

“He’s okay, Sarah. Come on, let’s get this done.”

“Okay, okay.” Sarah let Toby go and sat him back on the chair.

Time to get this done.  


	5. Chapter 5

When the dishes were cleared only Adam, Jesse, Mercy, Sarah, Christy and Kyle remained. Toby was with Darryl, Auriele and Warren in the next room. Samuel had arrived and was checking Toby over. He thought the boy would be fine, but allergies like that are tricky and so he decided to stay and keep an eye out. Besides, there was an Alpha here about to be told potentially bad news. Samuel didn’t want this to get messy.  Ben had gone home after dinner with what looked like undisguised relief. No one wanted to be there for the explosion.

“Alright, okay.” Kyle began. “I’m here as Sarah’s lawyer, so, anything said here I will use to Sarah’s benefit. The end.”

Mercy watched her friend from the end of the table, it being supposedly neutral ground. Like many people, she sometimes forgot the sharp minded (and tongued) lawyer that hid behind Kyle’s flamboyant façade. She watched the girl next to her, as Sarah clenched her fists under the table as Kyle opened the file in front of him.

 “This is a document detailing the times Sarah, Jesse and Toby have been left alone,” Kyle pushed it into the middle of the table, not looking to see if anyone picked it up. “This is a document detailing Christy’s finances – I would recommend you go through them from the time Sarah turns sixteen. This one details Sarah’s finances. This one shows the grades of the two girls at the school in Portland. This one shows hospital visits. This one is Christy’s employment history.”

He stopped and looked at the Alpha opposite him. “Understand these are only summaries. The detailed ones are in this file.”

“I would like to see them,” Adam said with quiet anger. He did not like this. His wolf was snarling at the uppity man in front of him. How dare he come into his territory and do this. How dare Adam fail Sarah like this. Kyle handed them over.

“This is ridiculous!” Christy said, all the papers in front of her. She’d snatched them as Kyle laid them out, desperate to stop anyone from looking at them.

“Is it?” Sarah responded. “You gave Toby _strawberries_.”

“An honest mistake! These few weeks have been so awful my mind has been so frazzled!”

“And the hospital visit?” Kyle reminded her. “The one Sarah’s still paying off?”

“What visit?” said Jesse. “Sarah you never told me you were in the hospital.”

“I wasn’t, Toby was.”

Adam slammed the papers onto the table. He stood carefully, making sure not to touch anyone, and left the room with nary a whisper.

“Now look what you’ve done,” Christy rebuked Sarah. “You just have to cause trouble for everyone!”

Mercy snorted, desperately trying not to laugh at the hypocrisy of the woman.

“What did I do?” Sarah asked, genuinely curious at how Christy saw this.

“What _didn’t_ you do! You’re impossible to raise! You stay out all night, doing who knows what. Your grades are appalling, don’t think I didn’t hear about that young lady. You spend money all over the place, never do anything responsible. You gave Toby that _thing_ that should have been burned a long time ago, it’s probably infested with something. In fact you are so impossible its impossible for me to be in a relationship you chase them away so often I had to go out of town to meet someone. This _entire_ situation is _your fault_ your ungrateful little girl.”

Sarah stared at her. Was that really what her own mother thought of her? Her chest grew tight and her breathing harsh. She felt so very cold, and all she could see was Christy’s blotchy face.

“I’m out all night and my grades have tanked because I work two jobs. I do this because you emptied the college fund that Adam started for us when Jesse was born two years ago. I’m always spending money because someone has to pay for Toby’s epi-pen and hospital visits because you cancelled Robert’s insurance and spent the money on a beach holiday in Cancun. I chase men away from you because until you find a rich sucker to dig into it’s always the same degenerates. The ones that sneak into Jesse’s room or my room. The one’s that pinch Toby and make him cry.  You care so much about us that no one knew you were alive until you used a credit card in Portland. You didn’t call us, didn’t warn us you had the arsonist from hell as a scorned lover.”

Sarah took a breath, the words just kept coming.

“I didn’t know you were here even! We only came because Jesse was our only relative and I wanted to make sure she was okay before I figured out a way to take care of Toby.”

“Please, like you actually care about Toby,” spat Christy. “You used to complain about him constantly!”

“Yeah because at fifteen I wasn’t exactly mother material.”

“Toby thought you were,” Jesse interrupted. “I never told you, but I had to teach him not to call Sarah ‘mama’”

Sarah went white and collapsed in her chair.

“Oh how wonderful! Perfect Sarah can do no wrong!” Christy’s face turned purple in her rage. “Always telling those stupid little stories about goblins and hoodlums. What was that stupid line?”

“No,” Sarah whispered.  Mercy reached out and grasped her hand.

“Oh yes I remember! I wish the goblins would take you away right now!”

The lightbulbs shattered and the weight of Mercy’s hand in her’s disappeared.

Jesse was no longer opposite her.

Adam’s snarl ripped through the room, suddenly unable to move.

The walls cackled and the windows shook in their frames.

Toby’s crying suddenly stopped.

Sarah wondered why she was still in the chair.

“I had to come for you in person, of course!”

Sarah started to shake.

That _voice_.

It was still mocking her and yet she still wanted to hear more of it. She always did and wasn’t that a secret she’d take to her grave.

“Now…Christy…isn’t it?” The Goblin King strode into the room, ignoring the snarling wolves frozen in place.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“Ah, did Sarah not tell you? I’m the _Goblin King_.”

Lightening punctured his words.

“Show off.” Sarah muttered, amazed her voice was still working.

“Quiet precious, I’ll get to you in a minute.”

Her shaking increased.

She’d always thought it was such a trite term to ‘shake in fear’ but now…oh god even when she was running from the cleaners she hadn’t been this afraid.

“Now Christy. You have a choice,” he summoned a crystal and started to spin it in one hand. Christy watched him entranced, eyes never leaving the crystal. “This…will show you your dreams.”

“Don’t listen Christy!”

“Hush pet. Now, Christy, do you want it?” he held out his hand and she reached out to take it. “Then forget about the children.”

Christy took the crystal.

“You _bitch!_ ”

“Come, come now precious that’s no way to speak to your mother,” the Goblin King grinned showing all his teeth. “Shall we then?”

The world melted around her, the solidness of the chair vanishing in an instant.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally!  
> I am so sorry it took so long to write, juggling Uni and Work is a bitch.

Adam reached out and grasped air, nothing there but a thick layer of glitter covering his hand the floor.

Darryl stood in the doorway, confusion all over his face.

“Alpha, the boy…”

“Call Zee.” Growled the Wolf. “And Bran. I want to know _everything_ about this Goblin King.”

Darryl bowed his head and moved out of the room.

“And… _that?”_ Kyle asked, reminding the alpha of his presence in the room, and that of Christy. She was standing absolutely still, hands wrapped around the crystal the Fae gave her. It was like she had no idea of where she was or what was happening. Even the rage rolling off of Adam didn’t affect her.

“Take her somewhere, anywhere just _away from here_.”

Kyle took Christy’s hand and led her away from Adam and the dining room. She didn’t fight him, just shuffled her feet in his direction. Her eyes were glazed and vacant. She wasn’t with Kyle, she wasn’t the woman who had wished away Mercy and her three children. If he focused on the crystal enough he could make out the image of her looking young and healthy, resplendent in fine clothes and surrounded by adoring men.

He didn’t focus on the crystal again.

Instead he led her into the basement and sat her onto the sofa. He stood over her and felt nothing but pity for this shell of a woman. Strong arms wrapped around him from behind.

“I hate her.” Warren said into his shoulder.

“She’s pitiful,” Kyle replied. “Everything she’s done, to Sarah and Jesse, Adam, even Mercy and all I feel is…contemptuous pity.”

“And that is why you are a better person than me,” Warren smiled.

“Oh no I’m not.” Kyle turned to face his lover, a vicious glint in his eye that would have done any werewolf proud. “Karma’s a bitch and I’m sure whenever this illusion wears off there will be nothing left of her.”

“What about Mercy and Jesse?”

“We’ll see what Zee and Bran say, but I think that Sa-” Kyle stopped, looking up at the ceiling before rushing to the stairs.

Above them a child was crying.

-!-

Sarah appeared in the Castle throne room alone in a maelstrom of colour and light. She looked around carefully, expecting Goblins to pour from the very walls to devour her.

It looked unchanged from when she was here last time.

Except this time the King was in his throne.

“Welcome back, precious,” Jareth grinned.

“Where are the others?” she demanded.

“My, my, Sarah where are your manners? Anyone would think you’ve been living with dogs,”

Sarah glared at him. “Hilarious.”

“You are talking to a king. You could show _some_ respect,”

The words were mocking but Sarah could sense the power behind them. She’d heard of the Grey Lords, the shadows whispered of them sometimes. Never more than one or two words but she could fill in the gaps.

They were powerful.

They were absolute.

They were _terrifying_.

And Jareth…well. Sarah knew he was powerful, knew full well what he was capable of.

He was one of them.

The fiery defiance she had learned over the past years would not serve her well here. Or would it? She didn’t know him enough to know.

“Where are the others, Your _Majesty_?” 

“Safe and sound where they are meant to be,” the King waved his hand and a smaller chair appeared to the side of his. “Now, come, sit and we shall get to know each other once more.”

“If it’s all the same, Your Majesty, I’d rather stand,”

“Suit yourself my dear, I just thought you’d like to be comfortable for this conversation,”

“I doubt sitting would help.”

A sharp grin full of teeth.

“No I suppose not.”

He rose from the throne, his dark cloak trailing behind him like the glitter he so loves to leave behind. He walked towards her, and Sarah froze. Her eyes tracked his every movement as he outstretched his hand.

“You still fear me,” he crooned. “All you have to do is love me, fear me, and do everything I say and I will be your slave, dearest Sarah,”

He cupped her face gently and Sarah shivered. The power, the magic, of him sent shocks along her skin and she fought not to sink into the feeling. How many times had she dreamed of being in his arms in that thrice damned crystal ballroom? Too many and now the real thing was in front of her and she _wanted_ _it._ She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the sensation. Just this once, just for this moment.

“I would shower you in love, you could finally relax and have someone take care of you. I would let your family return to the world above, and all you would have to do is stay and be my queen.”

It was tempting. So, so tempting. She was tired, the confrontation with Chrissy, the fire, the constant working and the revelations from Karen. What she had revealed to Adam was the tip of the iceberg. And if it meant Jesse, Mercy and Toby were safe and cared for above then surely all she had to do was step forward and allow Jareth to take the reigns.

Except.

_Except._

She had worked and fought. She had clawed and tore and bit her way to gain freedom for herself and for Toby. She had sacrificed a close relationship with Jesse to keep her safe with Adam. She had shielded Toby from the worst Chrissy had to offer and she had destroyed the Labyrinth to win him back because it was a _piece of goddam fucking cake_.

She remembered the warmth in her chest the day Toby had called her _Mama_ and she felt the cold leather against her cheek.

She was Sarah Williams.

She defeated the Labyrinth.

Her cruel green eyes opened.

“You have no power over me.”

It was said with no inflection, without satisfaction or pleasure.

It was fact.

-!-

She was escorted to an opulent waiting room by a female goblin. Neither woman spoke. After her declaration Jareth had laughed and goblins had poured from the walls. A snap of his fingers and she was being led down a corridor, the king still cackling with his goblins behind her.

She couldn’t decide on being irritated or worried.

The door opened and she stopped trying to figure it out.

It was Toby who saw her first. He sprang from the floor where he’d been playing with Jesse to run to her arms. She picked him up and spun him round, holding him close. Jesse smiled at her from the floor, and Mercy paused in her pacing.

“You’re okay.” The older woman breathed. “We were so worried.” She stepped forward and embraced both Sarah and Toby. Jesse stepped up and joined them. Sarah let herself bask in the feeling of being embraced by family.

The moment was interrupted by the door opening and a goblin butler entered.

“Lady Sarah, the King requires you and your family to join him for dinner,”

The four of them broke apart and stared at the butler.

“The King has sworn that there is no trickery, and all food comes from the above.”

“Then please…please tell the King that we shall join him momentarily.”

“The wardrobe contains appropriate clothes for you all.”

The butler bowed and left.

Mercy turned to the girl. She liked Sarah, she did. She was a smart girl, and fought for what she felt was right. Despite having no blood relation she could see so much of Adam in the girl. But she knew too much. And did that goblin just call her _Lady_?

“Should we get changed?” Jesse’s quiet question interrupted her thought.

“Probably.” Sarah replied. “He’ll be insufferable if we don’t.” She opened the wardrobe doors and promptly shut them. “On the other hand it could be good for him to not get what he wants all the time.”

“They can’t be that bad,” Jesse said, joining her. She took a peek. “Oh.”

“Oh.” Sarah agreed with a small smile.

“Sarah,” Mercy said softly. “Why did he call you _Lady?_ ”

The smile fell.

“Because I’ve been here before,” Sarah confessed. “When I was fifteen I wished Toby away to the goblins and ran the Labyrinth to get him back. I won.”

“Is that it?” Mercy pressed. She filed the information away for later questioning. It wasn’t relevant here, here they needed to survive and return home.

“Yes.” Sarah stared at Mercy. “I will fix this, Mercy. I _will_.”

Looking at her, Mercy could believe it.

“How Sarah?” Jesse asked. For the first time she looked worried.

“I guess we’ll find out over dinner.”

-!-

Jareth lounged at the head of the table watching the three humans and the shifter sit warily. All four had changed, Mercy and Jesse now in formal dresses, while Toby was in a miniature human style suit. But Sarah. Sarah wasn’t wearing a dress. She was dressed for war in tight breeches with a loose fitting belted tunic. Her hair was pulled out of the way with several pins, and Jareth could see several bags tied to the belt. She’d kept the trainers she was wearing when he brought her here. 

How lovely.

The humans sat uneasily, not making eye contact.

“How are you enjoying your stay?” he asked.

“It’s been lovely but we have to get home,” Mercy replied.

“Hm, yes, well _you_ I could send back with no problem. You were never included in the wish…really the magic should have had no effect on you even if you were touching one of the wished away,” Jareth frowned for a moment before looking triumphant. “Unless you were wished away before, and it just didn’t take. It happens sometimes, especially with those of your disposition.

“I wonder who hates you enough to wish you away out of their lives forever?”

Mercy’s face was pale and pulled tight. She knew, she knew exactly who wished her away and it was, quite frankly, _none of his business_.

Except it was because he was one the wish invoked.

“Is there a reason behind this dazzling insight or are you just trying to be insulting?” Sarah snapped. Screw manners.

“Insulting? Sarah! I was merely solving an interesting mystery!” Jareth pouted. “And it was very relevant, after all she’s the one who wished to speak of leaving.

“And not all of you can.” He finished darkly.

“What do you want?” Jesse asked, holding Toby tightly on her lap.

“Nothing you could ever hope to provide me with, my dear, why don’t we try the other sister?”

Sarah clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles almost matching the white of her tunic.

“I’ll run again.”

Jareth cocked his head like the owl he so often became.

“But there are more than just the baby this time Sarah, something more is required.”

“Sarah, don’t - ” Mercy interrupted, but Sarah shook her head sharply.

“It’s alright Mercy. I’ll run for every person here.”

“Every person? My that’s ambitious.”

Sarah met his gaze steadily. “I run, I finish, you let them go.”

“Alright, for every time you reach the throne room I’ll release one of them. Shall we say…Mercy, Jesse, Toby, you?”

“Toby, Jesse, Mercy, me.”

“Jesse, Mercy, Toby, you.”

Sarah sighed and looked over at Jesse. The girl was pale and afraid, but she was holding it together. It was, after all, not her first kidnapping. Not even her first involvement in a fairy deal. Jesse nodded at her. She knew Sarah’s next offer.

“Toby, Mercy, Jesse, me.”

“Done!” Jareth cried jovially. “Shall we begin?”

The world blured and she was standing out in the open air. The labyrinth lay before her, surrounded by a barren plain.

“This is…”

“Yes, where it all began last time.” The Goblin King moved behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders lightly, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “It’s farther than you think.”

“I’ll see you in thirteen hours.”

A press of lips against her cheek.

“Good luck Sarah, you’re not a child anymore.

-!-

The gate was already open when she reached it. Hoggle sat outside of it. He said nothing, couldn’t even meet her eyes.

“Hoggle?” She didn’t understand, he was her friend wasn’t he?

“I told you,” he croaked. “Told you, you would never leave. And now here you are again. I won’t help you this time Sarah. Not for you and not for the rat. Hoggle is for Hoggle, and that’s that.”

Sarah stopped and stared. Yes, Hoggle was a coward but he was also loyal.

“But you’re my friend?”

Hoggle laughed, a grating laugh that mocked and pricked at the back of her neck.

“Am I? Am I Sarah?” He stood finally and seemed to grow. He was no longer the grumpy dwarf with a penchant for jewellery. Now he nearly towered over her, and his teeth were growing, distorting his face and words.

“Friends? Friends should help friends Sarah, and I am so hungry, so so hungry, no tasty prey comes by my gate.”

“Prey?” Sarah began to move, her steps taking her closer and closer to the labyrinth.

“Alllll those nice runners,” the Hoggle-thing crooned. “Not the children of course, not in the land of the Protector, but the adults…sooooo hungry Sarah, Sarah you’re my friend, you’ll feed me won’t you Sarah?”

He lunged for her and she ran into the maze. She could hear his snarling and thudding steps as he followed.

Sarah’s thoughts blurred. He was her friend! What happened? What changed? Did Jareth do this? She wouldn’t put it past him, the rat, but could even a Grey Lord change the fundamental nature of a person?

She didn’t know and right now didn’t care, she just had to keep running. She leapt over debris and scanned for something, anything to help her. Hoggle crashed through the long branched behind her, howling about his aching stomach.

There were no openings it just went on and on and on she needed to turn, to lose him, to _stop_ him.

She tripped.

She scrambled to get up and get moving but he was on her now, saliva dripping down her neck.

Her hand scraped against the rocks, cutting her palms. She grabbed it and struck out, once, twice, over and over again until Hoggle’s weight was no longer on her back and he was still on the labyrinth floor.

She didn’t check for a pulse, she didn’t touch him, didn’t look at him. She simply ran until she couldn’t smell his breath anymore.

What had changed?

She had.

Jareth had warned her.

She wasn’t a child anymore.

She collapsed against the wall, burying her head between her legs, breaths heaving.

“’Ello”

“What?”

“I said – ‘ ‘ello’”

Sarah looked around for the voice until she spotted the little blue worm on the wall.

“Are you going to try and eat me too?”

“Eat you? Why? You’d taste awful.”

“Oh. That’s alright then.” She scrubbed at her face. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“You too! Why don’t you come inside and meet the missus?”

“I can’t I’m afraid. I need to get to the castle as soon as possible,”

“Well why don’t you go that way then!”

“Why through that opening and left. You’ll get there in no time!”

“I will?”

“Of course!”

“That’s fantastic!”

She walked towards the wall with arms outstretched with the strongest sense of déjà vu. She passed through and smiled.

“Goodbye!” she called behind her, never hearing the Worm’s belated warning.

There wasn’t anything different about this path from the one she had travelled years before, but as she walked the Labyrinth began to change. It started to grow darker and more oppressive, until she was squinting in an effort to see through the gloom.

_Sarah._

She walked and kept walking. She had been living with whispering shadows for months, someone simply calling her name wasn’t going to slow her down.

_You hurt me Sarah_.

Hoggle. It was Hoggle, he was in the dark with her! She whirled around, desperately trying to spot his monstrous form.

_I thought we were friends._

“You tried to eat me!”

_Friends help friends, Sarah_.

“Friends help friends whilst being outside their stomachs!”

_It wouldn’t have hurt. I’d have swallowed you whole._

“That’s not comforting.”

She started to jog, wary of any obstacles in her path.

_But then, I’m not the only one you’ve hurt am I?_

_Why didn’t you want me Sarah?_

“Oh god,”

_I was a baby! And you got rid of me!”_

“I _fought_ for you!”

_I called you MAMA!_

“I thought it was best! So that you wouldn’t grow up with a mom who didn’t care and a sister who couldn’t take care of a teenager let alone a baby!”

_That’s a lie._

“It’s the truth!”

_No all you wanted was to be alone, freedom from all those burdens._

“Toby is not a burden,”

_Am I not?_

“And you’re not Toby.”

She stopped running. She stood there and breathed in the darkness. Voices started to come from all directions hurling accusations. There was Adam, Mercy and Jesse, there was Ludo howling and Didymus cursing her. There was Chrissy screaming that she’d been a terrible daughter, had tricked and killed her.

She kept breathing.

_Do you think that will help? That if you keep breathing it will stop? Accept and conquer? Please. Like anything ever works that way._

Did she really sound that annoying?

_Yes you do. Sarah Williams, the annoying waste of space. No one wants you, no one needs you. Why don’t you just give up here?_

-!-

Warren and Kyle ran upstairs towards the crying. They entered the living room and stopped.

There, sat perfectly centre in the middle of the room, was a screaming Toby.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Sarah arrived bruised and breathless ten hours into the run. She none the less walked calmly into the throne room, the returning conqueror, with her head held high. She stared straight at Jareth without blinking.

“Send him back,” she ordered.

“As my lady commands,” Jareth smirked. “Would you like to take a moment?”

It was a strangely kind gesture, Sarah had half expected him to waive a hand a Toby would be gone. A sharp nod was her only reply before she turned on her heel to crouch down next to her brother.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Toby nodded and she gathered him close in her arms, holding him tightly. There is a selfish part of her that wants to abandon Jesse and Mercy, just take Toby and run. She forces herself to release him, eyes burning and the warmth of his body already fading.

“Promise to be good?”

Another silent nod.

“I love you Toby,”

“Love you Sarah,” he mumbled, tears trickling over fat cheeks. They splattered against the flagstones as crystal jewels and he was gone.

Mercy and Jesse crowded round her, trying to hide the sound of her sobs from the Grey Lord lounging on the throne.

“Tears? Really? I’ve only done as you ask,” Jareth jeered.

“Just shut up!” Jesse cried. “Shut. Up!”

“My, my, how rude. Sarah, this one clearly doesn’t share in your manners. Something to do with the mongrels she lives with.”

Mercy let out a soft growl, but otherwise remained still, holding onto the younger girls. She wasn’t sure whether she was anchoring them or herself from attack.

“Enough. Let’s just get this over with, shall we?” Her cheeks were red, but her eyes were clear and bright with anger.

Jareth’s smile turned vicious. “We shall.”

He stood with a flourish of his cloak and the castle fell away, leaving only the labyrinth before her feet. She was no longer on that barren hill with its single tree but in a lush green meadow.

“Where are we?”

“This, my dear, is the north side of the Labyrinth. You didn’t think that such a magnificent creation would have only one entrance would you?”

“No, that would be too easy.”

Her bones ached but she forced herself to step forward.

“Would you like to rest? It’s no fun playing with an exhausted opponent,”

“And what would the penalty be?” Sarah asked. No way would he offer kindness without something in return.

“One hour off your last run, presuming you last that long that is.”

“I can’t let them stay here for longer than necessary.” Sarah said resolutely.

“My precious, they shall never know. I’ve told you before, for you I can stop the very world from turning,”

She turned and faced him. He was seated on a lushly decorated blanket against a large oak tree. He patted the space next to him with a smile and a wink.

_Idiot,_ she thought with strange fondness.

“You swear? One hour of rest?”

“I swear,” he replied solemnly.

She collapsed beside him. She ached all over, her bruises decorating her skin like patchwork. Her fight with the shadow creature had ended in more than words, each one bludgeoning the other with their fists. Sarah was clearly the lesser fighter, but her fear of failing her family gave her the strength to finally defeat the shadow.

Jareth placed his arm around her back and she stiffened, until she felt the pain fading from her skin as his hands stroked over her skin. The relief caused her to relax against him, and just like before she found herself coveting the sensation.

“No fun against an injured opponent either?” she murmured, a quiet flash of fire against the tranquil sky. This place was so different from what she’d seen before. The sky was a bright and vibrant blue, and the flowers smelled sweet. But at the same time she felt like it could all shrivel and die in an instant, dependent on the capricious whims of the being holding her.

“I know how you like a fair fight,”

It shouldn’t have made her smile.

-!-

The hour was up and Sarah walked away from the Goblin King still lounging in the sunshine. Jareth watched her go and smiled. He had watched her in the above, through the eyes of the Dvergr who had disguised themselves as a swirling black shadow only visible in the corner of Sarah’s eye. He had tried with goblins before, but they were too… distractible. They had lost the girl within five minutes. The Dvergr were far more reliable. They were a useful bunch, they travelled to the Above with great frequency, learning all they good. Before the great reveal of the existence of the fair folk they had been Jareth’s only real connection to that world.

(There is a story there, why he is so stuck, and maybe one day he’ll tell it to Sarah. One day when they can lie in the sun without enmity.)

The Dvergr, cousins the breed of Dwarf that spawned Hoggle, had slowly gained their own reputation among the humans. They had been amused to learn that the humans had explained their existence away as a hallucination from lack of sleep. He had no doubt that Sarah had believed them to be just that, even after her trip Underground. But afterwards he had soaked up every piece of news of her. He watched her work and take care of Toby. He watched her practically cut Jesse out of her life in an attempt to protect her from Chrissy’s toxicity.

He bared his teeth at the thought of what would happen to that woman.

He didn’t think Sarah would be too bothered by it either.

The younger sister might be though, which would hurt Sarah, but that was a problem to be considered another time.

He had other guests to attend to after all.

He reappeared lounging on his throne, watching the human females hug on the steps in front on them.

Boring.

“Have you figured it out yet?” he asked, smirking at their startled reactions.

“Figured what out?” The coyote replied.

A quirk of a blonde eyebrow. 

“Majesty,” she bit out.

“Why, whoever hated you so much as to wish you away,”

“Oh. That.”

Nothing.

“And…” Jareth wheedled.

“And nothing,” Mercy said. “It doesn’t mean anything to my life now and that’s that.”

Very boring.

“Are you sure? I cannot take what isn’t freely offered. Why it could have been anyone. I’m sure you angered your fair amount of people as a child, a coyote in a wolf pack. It could even have been the Marrock himself, I’ve heard he’s got a fierce some temper. And wouldn’t it explain why he set Sarah’s father onto your doorstep, some lasting remnant of guilt?” An unholy glint entered his eye. “Or could it have been your mother? She did leave you with strangers after all,”

Mercy still said nothing. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t heard before after all, and none of it compared to the one absolute truth she was certain of.

Adam loved her.

And that was that.

Obviously.

“Stop being a prick,” Jesse snapped, heedless of the danger of snapping at a Grey Lord.

The hairs on Mercy’s arms stood up as energy crackled and the scent of ozone filled the air.

Mercy shoved Jesse behind her and backed away.

The energy vanished as soon as it had appeared.

Jareth laughed.

The goblins chittered from the wall.

“Ah such fire! Clearly it was inherited from your father, you and Sarah both share it,”

The older woman muttered to the girl and the two turned from him, resolutely staring at the clock.

Ah well, he’d let them.

Only twelve hours to go.”

-!-

Sarah arrived eleven hours into the run.

She was drenched.

“Mermaids Jareth? Of all the obstacles you could choose to put into your labyrinth you go with _mermaids?”_

“Who says I chose? That particular pod has lived here since before I became king,” Jareth replied.

“Really?” Sarah asked.

“Really, really.”

“Huh.”

That explained why there were so many. Mermaid pods tended to be quite small due to their unfortunate tendency to consume males _before_ mating with them.

Terrible self-control.

Luckily these mermaids had decided to help her instead of hindering, dragging her through an underground cave system and into their grotto, rescuing her from a marauding tribe of redcaps.

Sarah did not like redcaps.

“Well then,” Jareth stood and with a clap of his hands Sarah was dry once more. “Say your goodbyes, and let us continue,”

Sarah nodded and opened her mouth to speak.

“Wait!” Mercy interrupted, facing Jareth directly. “Send Jesse home,”

Jareth cocked his head. “That wasn’t the original deal,”

“She’s still a child in the human world, she shouldn’t be here.”

“She’s older than Sarah was on her first visit here. The deal stands, coyote,” Jareth dismissed her.

Mercy growled. Fuck manners, fuck this fae, _he will send back her daughter_.

“I’ll send her back.” Sarah stopped her from speaking. “I made a promise, and I _will_ keep it,”

Mercy ignored her.

“You bastard, send her back or I will _eviscerate you and dance on your grave_   _–_ “

The world shimmered and blurred into a wash of colour.

“ _\- you vile piece of trash,”_ She finished, snarling into her husband’s face.

“Hello to you too,” he smiled.

-!-

Mercy had finally stopped crying long enough to tell Adam about Sarah’s deal. He wasn’t sure whether he was angry or proud of the girl.

Maybe both.

He thought that could be possible.

He held his wife tight and tried not to think about his daughters stuck in some fae realm with only themselves to rely on. He should never have allowed Chrissy to take Sarah away, he should have demanded to see her.

Damn him this is all his fault.

“Toby?”

“He’s with Warren and Kyle in the basement. He…hasn’t stopped asking for Sarah,”

“She’ll make it through.” Mercy said firmly, tightening her grip on Adam.

He wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him or herself.

The phone rang.

He’d forgotten that Bran was going to call him back.

“Mercy’s here,” he said into the phone, passing it over to her.

“Hi Bran,” she said softly.

“Are you alright?” he asked urgently. “I can be there in a few hours.” She could hear the sounds of an engine in the background.

“I’m alright, Bran. He’s still got Jesse and Sarah,”

“This is grounds for war,” hints of the wolf trickled into his voice. “The fae will pay for this,”

“Bran, no, Sarah will get both of them back safely.”

“Will she? Can you be certain? This Grey Lord took the family of one of my alphas. Took someone with known ties _to me_ , this cannot stand.”

“Bran,” Mercy said softly, sadness creeping into the edges. “The Goblin King cannot take what isn’t freely offered. He could take the kids because of Chrissy and me…he said it was because someone wished me away as a child.”

Silence from both Bran and Adam.

“I’ll see you in a few hours.”

The phone went dead.

-!-

Jesse was alone.

At least, she thought she was alone.

Once Jareth had sent Mercy back he and Sarah had vanished, she assumed to the starting point of the next run. She didn’t know what to think of the two of them. They acted like enemies, but sometimes there was…amusement? Fondness?

_Flirtation?_

If she was very, very, honest it sort of reminded her of how Mercy and her Dad used to act. Two predators circling each other, trying to decide whether or not they would make peace or kill each other.

 She shook her head, trying not to think about it.

No, no, nope.

The walls started laughing.

“Who’s there?” Jesse called, standing up.

Creatures spilled out from all sides and surrounded her. They varied in size and shape. Some were furry, some were bald, some had teeth and boils and some were covered in feathers. These had to be the goblins.

What else could they be?

“Hello,”

They giggled. One particularly brave goblin creeped forward ahead of the others.

“Hello, hello,”

“I’m Jesse.” She swallowed. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Sprat! And this is Spud, Till, Bud, Kettle and Spot!” Sprat waved his hands as he talked, gesturing at his friends. Other goblins began speaking up too, and Jesse was quickly lost in a sea of bizarre names.

“And you are the Lady’s Sister!” the last one finished. (His name was Garnish)

_Who named these Goblins????_

“The Lady?” Jesse asked, feeling far out of her depth. They couldn’t mean Sarah, could they?

“The Lady Sarah!”

Oh.

They did mean Sarah.

“The Lady is amazing!”

“She at the peach and smashed the Crystal Ballroom!”

“She tamed the Rockcaller!”

“She walks with the Swamp Knight!”

“The Devourer didn’t eat her!”

“The Mermaids said she’s pretty!”

“Sarah did all this?” Jesse asked.

“The Lady is the Lady and she will always be the Lady.” Kettle said with the utmost seriousness.

“But, _why?_ ”

The goblins stared at her with big eyes, before turning and speaking amongst themselves. Their excited chittering was too fast for her to catch, though she thought she heard Sarah’s name repeated several times.

 Eventually they looked back at Jesse, but this time their answers were hesitant and unsure.

“Because she jumped?”

“She won back the child?”

“The king said so?”

“No, the _Labyrinth_ said so,” corrected Till.

The rest scoffed at Till’s statement.

“You can’t hear the Labyrinth.”

“Yeah, Till the King makes the Lady the Lady,”

“But without the Labyrinth there can be no King!” defended Till, but the others wouldn’t hear her. Instead they jeered and danced around her, Jesse forgotten, mocking her as children on a playground would.

“Now, now what is all this?” cried Jareth as he swept into the room. The goblins erupted into frenzied yelling of ‘king’, some bursting into dance on the spot. He laughed and caroused with them, completely ignoring the girl on the steps. Eventually they calmed down, with Jareth sitting on his throne. Till was perching on his knee gesturing emphatically, but the other goblins were too loud for Jesse to hear what they were saying. Jareth was smiling and nodding though, which Jesse took to mean that Till was correct in her statement earlier.

A semi-sentient fae hedge maze had laid claim on her sister.

Brilliant.

-!-

Hours passed.

The Goblins found a chicken and began to chase it.

Kettle came and sat with her, telling her the story of Sarah and her first trip through the Labyrinth. About half way through some other goblins came and surrounded them in a semi-circle. Kettle paused mid-word and blushed deeply before continuing.

He was a very good story-teller.

The story ended when Sarah staggered into the throne room, bleeding from wounds all over her body.

The story ended when she collapsed to the ground and the colours of the world bled into chaos, and Jesse’s scream was ripped from her throat.

She was still screaming when the world reformed into her bedroom.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the Mercy Thompson folks do have a purpose beyond getting Sarah into the Labyrinth again. Promise.


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah woke slowly, warm sunlight and soft sheets encouraging her to linger in the land of sleep. A long breath of contentment escaped her.

This was wrong.

Her eyes snapped open. She immediately started trying to get up, until sharp pain caused her to fall back onto the pillows. Trying to catch her breath she pawed at the covers, until she could look down her body.

It was covered in bandages.

Unhelpful.

She started to struggle upright again, but was pounced on by a female goblin.

At least, she assumed it was female. It was wearing a pink chiffon dress. Sarah decided to go with it.

“Lady no move!” She shrieked. “King say stay!”

“The king can stuff it,” Sarah shot it, valiantly continuing her struggles.

“Well, now, I would have thought you would treat your king with more respect,” said the Fae in question, leaning elegantly against the door frame.

“You are not my king,” said Sarah.

“I think you’ll find that I am, precious,”

“Are not,”

A precisely raised eyebrow.

“Are too.”

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

The poor Goblin in Pink was caught between them, looking between them like it was a particularly interesting tennis match. (Do Goblins even have tennis? Sarah filed that thought away for later).

In the end it is Jareth who puts a stop to the game.

“You certainly are energetic for someone so injured.”

Sarah scowled but didn’t deny anything. “What’s the damage then?”

“Stab wounds and bruises over most of your body, one cracked rib, and a broken ankle.” He listed impartially. “For someone who encountered the wendigo, you came out relatively unscathed.”

He almost sounded impressed.

“And Jesse? Did you send her home?”

“Yes, Sarah. Your family is safe and sound and out of my clutches once more.”

“Thank god,”

“No, just me,” a wolfish smile. “But for you, Sarah my dear, I might as well be,”

“What?”

A wave of his hand and the clock appeared.

It had stopped.

The countdown was finished.

Sarah was out of time.

“You spent it all snug as a bug in a rug.”

Her fists clenched in the bedding. This was it then, he had her back and that was that.

She bowed her head, feeling her eyes burn and not wanting to give Jareth the satisfaction of seeing her cry. The King was silent, watching. After some time she faced him again, eyes red but dry, mouth set in a stubborn line.

Jareth thought she’d never been more beautiful.

“And what does my King want?” she said, voice perfectly steady.

Jareth wanted to crow in victory, but kept careful control over his smile. This was a trying time for her after all. 

“Your King,” Oh goddess that sounded good to say, “wishes for you to recover. We shall talk when you can stand once more.”

The girl nodded thoughtfully. She looked like she wanted to ask something but thought better of it. Jareth decided to help her, my how kind he was being today.

“What is it, Precious?”

“Can I, I mean, is it possible to let my family know I’m okay?”

“Are you?”

“What?”

“Are you okay? I wouldn’t want you to lie to them.”

Sarah’s mouth twisted. “Of course I’m not _okay_.” The _you moron_ was clear for all to hear. “But I think it would make them feel better to know I was at least _alive_.” Jesse’s last sight of her hadn’t exactly been reassuring.

“I shall have Twizzle bring you pen and parchment.”

“Yes Majesty!” the Goblin in Pink said, darting out the room with surprising speed.

Sarah did not think they looked like a Twizzle.

“I would be very grateful,” Sarah said carefully. Mental note: Never ever say thank you.

A shark’s grin was her only reply. A cursory “sleep well!” called over a shoulder as Jareth left the room.

Sarah flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. The rage and grief she’d kept under careful control boiled up in her throat, choking her and making her lungs burn.

Jareth laughed as the scream followed him down the corridor.

-!-

Sprat didn’t know what to do.

The King’s study had been invaded!

And what’s more, the intruder was making tea! _Tea!_

Sprat was very confused. And when Sprat was confused he got scared. This led to his current predicament of being stuck on top of a bookcase while an elegant gentleman sipped tea at the King’s desk.  

 On his part, Gwyn ap Lugh thought that the tea was made with mediocre leaves and there was no lemon. Honestly what was Jareth thinking, using goblins to restock the pantry? The things didn’t know beer from wine, for heaven’s sake they kept chickens as _pets_. Not to mention they clearly had no sense of preservation, the one on the bookcase was now hissing at him.

Jareth better arrive soon or he’ll be down one goblin.

Gwyn ap Lugh wondered if he’d even notice.

Ah, speaking of.

The Goblin King swept into his study, fully intending to celebrate his victory, when he saw his…Guest? Colleague? Honestly what do you call someone who randomly appears in his castle whenever he chooses?

Ah yes his friend.

Ish.

“Hello Jareth,” said the Grey Lord behind the desk.

“Hello…what are they calling you these days?”

“I’m known as Alistair in the Above.”

“Well, hello Alistair,” Jareth stretched out in the chair opposite. He looked up, seeing Sprat pace the bookshelf in agitation. Poor Sprat, he never did do well when powerhouses came to visit.

“Sprat,” he said softly. “Go see Herbert in the kitchens would you? Let him know we have a guest from dinner,”

“Yes, King!”

Sprat skedaddled.

“How is your daughter?”

“Still dancing,” Alistair’s face softened. “She’s thinking of applying to some troupes,”

“How lovely,”

“And your Lady? How is she?”

“She will heal,” another wail echoed along the castle walls. “And she shall be magnificent.”

-!-

Much, much later, when the moon had risen and Sarah’s eyes were red and dry, her throat raw from screaming, Twizzle reappeared. In their hands was parchment and pen as promised. Sarah watched silently as the goblin crept forward, placing their burden on the night stand before scurrying away.

She felt a little bad for scaring them before the emotion was swallowed in the black hole of her grief. Her fingers ached to pick up that pen, to tell her sister and brother that she loved them and was so so proud of them, that she they would grow into such fantastic people and live such wondrous lives that her heart hurt.

It turned out her eyes weren’t dry after all.

-!-

_Dear Toby and Jesse,_

_Don’t cry. I’m alright, the Goblin King is making sure all my hurts are healed. I’m not writing this under duress, there is no gun to my head. I pray these are not my last words to you both, but if they are then there are things you must know._

_I’m so sorry I scared you Jesse, pro tip: if you meet a wendigo, do not engage. It was perhaps not my brightest idea. Oh Jesse you were so brave, I’m so proud of you. It seems useless to write it now but I’m so sorry I pushed you away, it was the last thing I wanted to do but it was the only way I could think of to keep you safe. I don’t want to do this, I never wanted to, but you are the big sister now and Toby will need you. He never goes anywhere without Lancelot (the bear), and he’s a brat about vegetables, but please, love him. And never ever doubt that I love you both._

_I’m abandoning you both and I can’t apologise enough for it, but do not cast blame. This is not your fault, not Toby’s and not even Jareth’s. You cannot steal what has been given away. It’s not even Christy’s fault. I know she has done some terrible things, but for better or worse she is our mother. Don’t hate her, don’t let bitterness consume you, please don’t make my mistakes. But, dearest sister, if you must blame someone, then place the blame where it properly belongs. With me. The one who started this whole mess with their own selfishness._

_If there is one good thing to come out of this though, is that I can pass on the things I’ve learned. Life isn’t fair, and it’s useless to wish it is. Don’t get attached to material things, it’s the people in your life who the most important and hang on to them with every ounce of strength you have. Lastly, and I know this sounds absolutely crazy, but sometimes the way forward is the way back._

_I got that from a man wearing a talking bird as a hat. Bizarrely, it makes sense to me now._

_Promise me this, both of you._

_Never doubt that I love you, that you are wanted. Live your lives to the fullest, fall and rise and rise even further. Live such fantastic lives that stories are made from them. Do it well and do it right._

_Toby, Jesse._

_You are the best of my life, my brightest hope and my deepest wish is for to be happy._

_I love you both._

_Your sister,_

_Sarah_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that happened. The letter was difficult to write, but Sarah is a storyteller and is good with words, so I think it works. 
> 
> Hope to get the next chapter out soon!
> 
> Much hugs,
> 
> LizzieHopscotch


	9. Chapter 9

Jesse sat on the sofa, tears flowing unchecked even as she watched those around her. Toby was beside her, clinging desperately to her sleeve. She wasn’t sure how much he understood, but he had to be terrified. First the fire, then that awful dinner, and then finally going to and from a strange realm. And now no Sarah.

God, what if she was _dead_?

Warren sat with them on the sofa, a quiet comforting presence. Kyle wanted to be with them but he was the only one who could watch Chrissy. The wolves were far more likely to rip her to shreds than simply sit there. She hadn’t changed at all, she was still staring into the crystal with a dreamy smile.

In the room with them was Adam, Mercy and Bran. Darryl stood just outside the door, keeping an eye on the others in the house. The magic in the room was rising with the Marrok’s anger, and someone needed to make sure no one lost their control. Adam and Bran were clearly in no shape to do so. Jesse knew she should probably leave and take Toby with her, let them work it out and be far, far away from any inevitable bloodshed. But she was just _so_ tired. She hadn’t felt like this since she’d been kidnapped in an ill-conceived plan to force a dying wolf to kill Bran. Not even the trip to the Fairy Queen’s lair could compare to this. She wished Sarah was here. She would know what to do. She always did.

Adam was pacing the room, energy burning across his skin. Sarah may not have been his blood but she was still _his_ and he hated the thought of her stranded and alone at the mercy of some _goddamn fucking fae_. And what made it worse? Is that somehow that stupid, _stubborn_ girl had engaged the Goblin King in a challenge and was now paying for it. And there was nothing he could do. God he agreed with Bran. Declare war. Let them burn for what that peacock has done. His wolves would go gladly, even those that didn’t remember Sarah from when she was small could see how dear to Jesse she was. And they loved Jesse.

Mercy was trying to calm both men down, telling them that Sarah was strong, that she’d make it through this. Telling Bran that Sarah had told him not to do this, was he going to spurn the girl’s sacrifice? Not that it was of course, because she would be _coming back_. Adam wanted to turn on her, she wasn’t a parent what could she possibly know about this? But then he’d remember and the words would catch in his throat, how Mercy had such an impossibly big heart. Taking care of Gabriel and his sisters, loving Jesse and being there even when Adam and she were arguing she never took it out on the girl. Even in that short time when Sarah was a child, she had only shown kindness to the girl.

Jesse was still crying.

_Jesse_.

His little girl was going through this because of him. Because he hadn’t stopped to ask after Sarah, to make sure that she was okay too. She’d been thrust into the role of protector when she still needed to be protected. God, what had he _done_? He should go downstairs and shake that ludicrous excuse of a mother until she snapped out of whatever delusion she was having. Shake her until her _neck snaps_.

Bran was giving another impassioned speech for beating the crap out of the Fae. Adam had never seen him lose so much of himself to his anger before, and without any of his sons here it was unlikely to drain away. Not even Mercy, who Adam _knew_ the Marrok loved as his daughter, could stop it.  Adam met Darryl’s eyes. His Second nodded. He understood and was with them.

The Colombia Basin Pack would-.

There was a knock on the door.

As one every head turned to face it. Now was decidedly not the time.

It was Ben who stepped forward, heavy scowl in place. There were not many who could withstand its…fierceness? Scariness? Sheer awfulness? Mercy was an exception.

“Greetings, fellow warrior! I am Sir Didymus of the Swamp Bridge, and this is my noble steed Ambrosius. I bring tidings from the Lady Sarah,”

“Sarah?” Jesse repeated dumbly, before dashing from the sofa to meet Didymus. She just wasn’t expecting a…fox? Riding a sheepdog?

“Lady Jesse! I bring you a letter written by the hand of my Lady,” he bowed, sweeping his hat from his head.

“She’s okay? Sarah’s okay?” Jesse demanded. Adam stood behind her, looming threateningly. Didymus didn’t seem to notice. Mercy touched her husband’s shoulder, reminding him to be calm. Bran stayed in the living room with Warren, but Jesse felt that was more to stop himself from attacking the fox than out of disinterest.

“We’ve been very worried,” Mercy said gently.

“Then I am glad that I may appease them,” another flourish and a letter of thick parchment appeared in his hand. “And while my Lady resides, in the Labyrinth, be assured that she will not be without friends, and her most loyal guards.”

It was a kind thing to say, Jesse knew that, but all she could hear was one thing.

“She’s not coming back, is she?”

The fox’s ears drooped, his eyes growing sad.

“No, Lady Jesse. I am afraid her injuries meant that she could not complete the final run, she belongs now to the Labyrinth.”

Didymus pressed the letter into her hands, kissing them gently. Jesse clutched it close to her chest, fresh sobs ripping through her. Adam took her into his arms, doing his best to calm her. It didn’t work.

“You’re very kind, it won’t be forgotten,” Mercy said.

“It is no trouble to do this for my Lady’s family. Be well Lady Jesse, I shall leave you now. Ambrosius! Homeward!”

The door swung shut in his face, and a strange popping noise followed, like a particularly large bubble had burst. When Ben opened the door again the only mark of their strange visitor was large pieces of iridescent glass left on the doorstep.

“I’ll get a broom,” he sighed.    

The others returned to the living room, Jesse lifting Toby to sit on her lap. She unfolded the letter with shaking hands and began to read. When she finished she was dry eyed. She scooped Toby up and left the room, Adam tracking her movement with his hearing as she went up the stairs, leaving the letter on the table.

Sarah told her to take care of Toby, and that’s what she would do.

Starting with bedtime.

Downstairs the others passed the letter around, some swearing, some crying, but all realising that this was it. Sarah was now at the mercy of the Goblin King, and there was nothing they could do. The worst part about it all, Adam decided, was from what Mercy and Jesse had said and from the letter, Sarah _knew_ there was a chance this could happen.

Bran sighed, the bristling anger finally subsiding.

“You have an amazing daughter, Adam. You should be very proud.”

-!-

In the Underground time passed slowly for Sarah. At first she was confined to bed rest until her ankle healed, as well as the rest of her hurts. She took it…a little less gracefully then she should have. She was ashamed to admit it, but in those four days she acted much like the petulant fifteen-year-old she once was. Poor Twizzle. But although her hurts began to fade, the dull ache in her chest never left.

Once she was determined well enough to walk on her own she spent most of her time in the Labyrinth itself. Now that she wasn’t desperately running through it she could appreciate how beautiful it was. She made sure to visit every place she went through, barring the mirror maze and the wendigo maze. The mermaids greeted her fondly, drawing her back down into the water and leading her into the grotto. There she met the small number of calves with the pod that she played with, spending time with their mothers having a fabulous time. She had to leave before nightfall but she promised to return. Strangely her ankle didn’t even twinge after that.

She even found time to have tea with the Worm and his wife. They were a nice couple.

There was no danger in the Labyrinth, not for Sarah, not any more. Everywhere she walked, both old and new, the brambles parted and flowers bloomed. The inhabitants greeted her with smiles, most of them anyway. The Fireys weren’t that pleased to see her, but she bought with her plenty of flammable materials in the hopes of winning back their favour. It worked…to a point.

Her days were filled with wonder, her nights however were a different story. Every evening since she was upright Jareth would invite her to dine with him, and since he was the king she didn’t feel she could refuse. The first night was awkward to say the least. Every bite of food tasted like ashes and the conversation was stilted and forced. She received new dresses, laid out for her on the bed by sun down, and Jareth would complement her in them, as though he wasn’t the one providing them. It creeped her out. 

The conversation, slowly, became more natural as she got used to his presence. She wouldn’t seek him out, but she wouldn’t outright reject him anymore either. One day he joined her on a walk through the Labyrinth, taking her hand and transporting them to their hill.

Sarah thought it said something that she was thinking of it as _theirs_.

“I thought, maybe, we could have a picnic without the time limit?” he almost sounded hesitant.

She didn’t smile at him. Her lips may have twitched, but she definitely did _not_ smile. That would have encouraged him. Nothing had changed from before. It didn’t matter how much she wanted to be near him, how much his presence calmed her nerves. All that mattered is that she was essentially powerless here. He was the King, an all-powerful Grey Lord, even if she said no there was no guarantee he would abide by her wishes.

He’d even conjured a chequered blanket. And a wicker basket.

“Any ant problems I should know about?” When in doubt, Sarah thought, sarcasm will save you. “Because you know having a picnic is like opening a buffet for those guys,”

Jareth simply smirked and patted the space next to him.

“I promise to protect you from the fearsome ant hordes.”

Okay so she smiled at that.

She sat carefully down next to him, making sure they weren’t touching. If he was aware of what she was doing he didn’t let it show. Instead he opened the basket with a flourish, making a show of digging around in it. This wasn’t like before, when she was both physically and emotionally exhausted enough to make dubious choices. Like snuggling with a Grey Lord.

“What’s for lunch then, your Majesty?” Sarah asked.

“Well,” he handed her a sandwich and poured her a glass of water, “first I thought we’d have some human sandwiches, and then wash it down with elixir of the souls of the innocent.”

Sarah just stared at him, sandwich limp in her grasp.

“I’m kidding, Sarah. You constantly look at me like I’m the devil incarnate, and as you know, I do love fulfilling your expectations.”

“I guess I deserved that,” Sarah said shamefaced. He was _trying_ , the least she could do was the same. But still no cuddling. She was drawing the line. “So what is it really?”

“I thought you’d like some comforts of home. A simple ham and boiled egg sandwich, and some orange juice,”

Sarah smiled at him. “Adam used to make those for me on weekends, when Christy was out the house.”

“It’s a nice memory you have.”

“Yeah.” Sarah looked down, a lump forming in her throat.

“I didn’t intend to make you sad,” Jareth said, handing her a handkerchief. She took it without thinking, surprised to find her cheeks wet.

“I’m sorry,” she said, abandoning the food. “It keeps creeping up on me, I just _miss them so much_ ,”

Jareth sat silent beside her, offering her no comfort except for his steady presence as she cried over a sandwich. She’d been coping so well and then she loses it over a sandwich? She was Sarah Williams! Champion of the Labyrinth! She did not break because of pieces of bread. Ridiculous. Jareth kept watch as she dried her tears, wisely keeping his mouth shut. What could he have said anyway? She was the Lady of the Labyrinth, _his_ Lady, and she wanted nothing more than to leave him.

He couldn’t blame her.

He would have preferred to woe her in the Above, to have won her heart there before convincing her to come away with him. For it all to be _willing_. Instead that useless sack of meat calling itself her mother had wished away it’s three children and an innocent bystander and he was forced to once more play the villain. Not that it wasn’t fun, the challenge Sarah constantly presented was absolutely thrilling. And when she practically _melted_ against him he thought maybe it would work, maybe when she won he would be able to contact her Above.

He hadn’t expected her to lose.

The encounter with the Wendigo had forced his hand, and without her awake to agree to a bargain for more time his hands were tied. He had watched the clock tick down the seconds as she lay wounded in bed. And then that was it. She was his, all his. And she could barely touch him.

He wasn’t wrong when he said she would be magnificent. Already the inhabitants of the Labyrinth loved her, the maze itself welcomed her down its very foundation. And its King would bend time, space and the stars simply for a smile.

Magnificent yet cruel, his precious thing.  

“I don’t know why you’re so patient with me,” Sarah said.

“Perhaps Sarah, I am not quite the villain you imagine? Before I became the Goblin King, do you know what my title was?”

She shook her head.

“It is the one I care for most. It was the Protector of Children, all children, Sarah. The power of the wish isn’t just to punish people who discard their treasures, but to make sure that those treasures are cared for and protected. I would never have hurt Toby, or your sister Jesse. And that trickster Coyote would have been insufferable if I’d laid a hand on Mercy.”

“Then why the charade? Why make me run the Labyrinth?” she demanded. “Couldn’t you have just sent us back.”

The picnic basket lay forgotten between them.

“The rules Sarah! the damnable rules that mean once a challenge is made and accepted it must be carried out. The rules that mean I must have a bargain in order to delay anything, that I must fill a role expected by the challenger.”

His frustration caused Sarah’s face to soften unexpectedly.

“Then we are both trapped,”

He turned to face her fully, catching her hands in his.

“Would you stay with me?” he asked earnestly. _Too fast too fast!_ He cautioned himself, but it was too late the words were out there, no going back now.

“What?”

“Would you stay with me? Protect the children?”

“I-Jareth, this is.” Sarah couldn’t figure out what to say. Words had always been her ally, letting her weave stories for Toby, and nice lies for neighbours. She looked down at their enjoined hands and frowned.

“I don’t know what I can give you Jareth. I know I can’t return to my old life, but I miss my family so much it hurts. What you’re asking is so, _massive_ that I can’t fully grasp it,”

She rose up on her knees and cupped his face. It was the most she’d touched him since running the Labyrinth.

“I’m sorry, Majesty. I can’t give you what you ask for,” there was an unspoken _not yet_ that Sarah refused to acknowledge.

“I understand, Sarah,” Jareth replied, not breaking eye contact.

The two remained like that for a time, before Sarah sat back down. They returned to their forgotten lunch and spoke of lighter things. It wasn’t intentional, and neither wanted to draw attention to it unless the spell was broken, but as they spoke they drew closer until previous discomfort was forgotten for this moment.

When the sky began to darken, Jareth stood and offered Sarah his hand. She took it and the pair walked back through the Labyrinth.

It was only once she was back in her room to change for dinner, that she realised she had not let go of that hand.

-!-

There was a Mettalzauber in his throne room.

And one did not simply dismiss the Dark Smith of Drontheim.

This was not a character he wanted anywhere near his Sarah. The Smith was a being even he would think twice about crossing. Jareth had before offered friendship towards him, especially as like Siebold his goblins were able to move about without fear of iron. His offered had been rebuffed soundly, the Smith was a grumpy bastard even then.

“I would speak to the one named Sarah Williams,” said Siebold. This was not Zee. Zee was the grumpy mechanic whom Mercy was unreasonably fond of (daft girl) and one could not be mellow and grumpy when dealing with one such as Jareth. Even with his own considerable power, he was still vulnerable in the Underground. It was not like Underhill, though the names were similar, where all Fae were welcome and even the most lowly of Fae could become a power. No, Underground was governed by entirely different set of rules, ones decided by a semi-sentient overgrown hedge and a glitter obsessed owl.

Great.

“And why should the Lady of the Labyrinth be worthy of your attention?” The King asked. Yes, he had the power here, yes he could force the Smith to leave. But he was a master craftsman, one of the last to possess some of the most powerful magic. He would afford him the respect he deserved. He had no desire to end up like Lugh. 

“I’ve come here on behalf of her family, they want someone they trust to make sure she’s not befallen any misfortune.”

Jareth sighed and postured, making a show of umming and ahhing and generally being a little shit. That was okay. Siebold could wait.

In the end it was Sarah who made the decision for them.

“Majesty? Sir Didymus told me you asked I came at once?” Sarah asked hesitantly, poking her head into the throne room. She was a bit leery of entering it properly. Jareth’s visitor was one of the most intimidating beings she’d seen, tall with golden hair and skin the colour of burnt oak. His eyes, when he turned to face her, were the colour of cold iron. They were nothing like Jareth’s mismatched gaze, and it made her uncomfortable.

“My Lady,” the stranger bowed slightly.

“Hello,” she returned edging forwards, looking to Jareth for advice. The Goblin King beckoned her forward coming to meet her at the base of the steps before his throne.

“Sarah, I would like to introduce Siebold Adelberkrieger. He has come on behalf your family,”

“Are they alright? Is something wrong?” Sarah’s mind leapt to the worst case scenario.

The fae before her smiled. “They are fine, Lady Sarah. I can tell you don’t recognise the name, you may know of me as Zee,”

Sarah smiled brightly.

“Mercy’s friend! Jesse speaks very fondly of you,”

“Jesse speaks fondly of everyone.”

“Well, clearly you’ve never heard her talk about Jenna Birch from 3rd Grade.”

Zee smiled. Jesse’s sister hadn’t been cowed by her stay in the castle clearly.

“They received your letter, Sarah. And are worried. They want to make sure that what was written was truly your own words.”

“They were,” Sarah said. “I would not have written them otherwise. Are Toby, Jesse and Mercy okay?”

“They’re doing fine, worried about you.”

“And Toby-” Sarah cut herself off, there was no good way to phrase the question. “He’s staying with Jesse and Adam?”

“Of course! Adam and Mercy are happy to have him.” He lowered his voice. “Just as they would welcome you.”

Relief, sweet and heady flooded her system. She had been so worried. What if they had decided that a toddler was too much trouble? She knew it was unlikely, she knew Adam and Mercy to be good and loving people, but still the what if nagged at her.

“Oh, thank goodness! Please let them know that he can be a brat about bed time sometimes, and he hides his veggies under mash potato. But he settles if you tell him a story, and his favourite is sweetcorn.”

“Jesse has a message about that, she asked me to tell you this. ‘Bed time is at 7, he must eat at least three vegetables and mash potato has been banned since he threw some at Samuel.’”

Sarah blushed as Jareth laughed in the background. “I swear I taught him better than that.”

“By all accounts it was one of the liveliest dinners in weeks,” Zee replied gently.

“Satisfied?” Jareth said.

“I will let the others know of your condition,” Zee said.

“You make me sound pregnant,”

Jareth choked behind her.

Zee grinned. “Are you?”

She laughed.

The girl had a spine of iron, she will not lose herself.  

Zee turned to leave, eager to leave this damn castle behind. Who knew what havoc the goblins could be creating in the garage. It would be the sort of thing Jareth would do, setting those mischievous creatures loose there in retaliation for showing up uninvited. It was mild compared to other Grey Lords.

“Wait, please,” Sarah said. “Do-do you know what happened to my mom?”

Zee sighed. He had been hoping she wouldn’t ask.

“Your mother is dead,” he said, there was no way to hide it. “She stared into the crystal until she crumbled into dust.”

“She chose her dreams, Sarah,” Jareth reminded her gently. “Once that happens, the magic consumes the wisher, until there is nothing remaining.”

-!-

Days later, Sarah was walking through the Labyrinth when Jareth received another visitor. They were really coming out the woodwork this month. He hadn’t had so many visitors for ages and now they were all coming at once. What was that phrase? Like the buses? Whatever it didn’t matter, point was. Visitors.

He was thinking of installing a revolving door.

Gwyn ap Lugh stormed through the castle in a rage. He screamed for Jareth to appear, desperation clear in his every action.

Jareth was glad Sarah was out of the castle.

“Alistair _what_ is it?” Jareth sighed. Honestly the man was such a drama queen.

“They _took_ my _daughter_.”

“What.”

“Those barbarians! Those disgusting humans stole my daughter!”

Goblins ran from him, those that moved too slowly were swiftly kicked. Into walls, out of windows, the son of Lugh’s rage was so great he wasn’t capable of seeing clearly. Jareth stepped forward quickly, seizing his friend by his arms.

“Alistair! Tell me what’s happened.”

“In the Above, there are people kidnapping supernatural being. Most of them are never found and those that are they-! Jareth, _they took my Lizzie_. You have to find her! Use whatever magic you have to just find my daughter!”

“Gwyn ap Lugh, I can’t do that. I can only find those who say the words,” Jareth said gently. He wished it was different, but not even the Goblin King could make such a wish come true.

“Useless! What good are you then!”

With a blast of rain the other Grey Lord vanished, leaving behind only droplets on the cobbled floor.

Jareth sighed and rubbed his face roughly.

“Kettle, fetch a mop. If anyone asks, I’m unavailable.”

Glitter floated in the small beads of water, lighting up the entire hall when the light touched them.

-!-

It was Sarah who found him, buried in his study, bottle in hand.

“Majesty?”

He wouldn’t tell her, but he really, really liked it when she called him that. He thinks the only thing that would be better is the sound his name softly whispered in his ear. Yes, that would definitely be better.

“S’rah?” he slurred out.

He could hear her walking round the bookcases looking for him.

“Back ‘ere,” he called out, grinning stupidly when he finally saw her.

“You look terrible.” she breathed, crouching next to him. “What happened? Twizzle and Till came to find me shaking like leaves.”

He grabbed at her arm, finally yanking her down to sit against his chest.

“Oof! What are you _doing_? Stop that!” Sarah squirmed against him. He just held on tighter, until eventually she sat with her back against his chest, his head buried against her shoulder.

He was so warm.

Sarah sighed and relaxed in his grip, reaching up to grasp one of her hands.

“What’s wrong?” she repeated softly.

“I can’t help my friend. His daughter’s in trouble, and I can’t _help_.” His words were surprisingly clear given how drunk he was.

“I’m sure if could help, you would.”

“Of course I would! I’m the Protector of Children, Sarah! And there’s a child that needs help, but I can’t help unless they say the words!”

She rubbed the back of his hand and waited. He took another swig out of the bottle.

“Want any?”

“No I’m alright,”

“Oh go on Sarah! Don’t be such a stick in the mud!”

He waved the bottle under her nose.

“Just a little si~p.”

“Will you stop if I do?”

“Maybe.”

“Promise?”

“Maybe.”

“One sip and that’s it?”

“Oh fiiiiine, I promise.”

She took the bottle from him and took a long drink, swiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Oh, very lady like.”

“That stuff is _vile,_ what are you drinking!” she demanded, trying to get a look at the bottle.

“I think…uh. Farmer Herbert’s Vintage Homebrew? I think someone bought it as a court offering. Maybe.”

“First thing you saw?”

“The last thing left.”

Her heart ached for him. Silence fell between them again. Jareth snuffled at her hair, _like a dog_ , his mind helpfully supplied. It wasn’t his fault. She smelled nice.

“Sometimes children wish themselves away,” Jareth said quietly. “Sometimes…sometimes they aren’t in good shape. They wish themselves away out of desperation. I heal the ones I can but others all I can do is hold their hands and sing them to sleep. I don’t want my friend to see his daughter like that.”

There was no comfort Sarah could offer him, so they sat there in silence, until Jareth finally drank himself to sleep still holding onto her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is so much crying in this chapter. I am a bad person. 
> 
> Okay, so there is something I would like to say about Sarah and Jareth's relationship. And that is that right now it is impossible for them to be together as equals. So, despite how much they want each other, because they totally do, Sarah is carefully trying to maintain some semblance of boundaries, especially since she's no longer physically and mentally drained. 
> 
> Since the start of the story Sarah has:  
> • Lost her home  
> • Thought her brother was dead  
> • Was betrayed by her mother  
> • Confronted her mother  
> • Was betrayed by her again  
> • Kidnapped-ish  
> • Ran the Labyrinth  
> • Ran it again  
> • And again  
> • Was injured  
> • Lost all her family
> 
> She's not exactly had it easy, poor thing.
> 
> Deleted Line: "As Jesse would say; 'consent is sexy, people'"
> 
> Much hugs,
> 
> Lizzie Hopscotch


	10. Chapter 10

In the aftermath of Gwyn ap Lugh’s visit, the ache in Sarah’s chest continued to grow. She felt like she was just going through the motions, still visiting with those in the Labyrinth and in the Goblin City. All she could think about was that someone up there was going after children and she was stuck here unable to protect her own.

Jareth watched her carefully as she passed through, their dinners had lost all the spark that was there after their picnic on the hill. A chill swept over him, and for the first time in a long time he recognised that he was afraid. Afraid that his Sarah would be lost forever, and that she would fade as some did when suffering an unimaginable loss. He knew that there would only be one way to cure her heartache, and it would not be found with him.

He had to find a way to send her home.

He knew the Labyrinth didn’t want to let Sarah go. The girl has conquered it four times and played there daily. But he also knew the Labyrinth didn’t want Sarah to suffer, if he could convince it that it would save Sarah’s life, then maybe he could do it. The Labyrinth though was as stubborn as its Lady, and it wouldn’t be easy.

Selfishly, he hoped that if he did set her free it would make her love him.

Likely, she would leave and never come back.

It hurt.

-!-

Two days later Gwyn ap Lugh was back.

Revolving door.

Must look into that.

Jareth sat on the steps in front of his throne next to his friend.

“They found her.” Alistair said hoarsely. “She’s alive, but she’ll never dance again. What they did to her, Jareth, I’m amazed she can even get up in the morning.”

“She’s a strong girl. She will get through this.”

“She’ll do better when those bastards are where they belong.”

Alistair’s fists were clenched tight. He was bound by the laws of the above and the ones put in place by the Grey Lords.

“What can I do?” Jareth asked.

“Help me get justice,” Alistair stared hard at the King. “Help me put Lizzie’s nightmares to rest.”

_That_ , Jareth thought, _was something he could do_.

While the laws were clear in cases like this, that they must rely on human justice to prevail, there was still wriggle room. And Jareth exceeded at wriggle room.

He conjured a bottle of single malt whisky and handed it over, before conjuring another for himself. Sarah wouldn’t be impressed to find him blind drunk again, but he wasn’t going to let a friend drink alone.

“You never answered.” Alistair said a quarter way through the bottle.

“Because you should already know I will do everything in my power to help you,”

“Good.”

Another pull from the bottle.

“I had to rely on _werewolves_ to help, I was so useless.”

“You still found her, that’s what matters.”

Another drink.

“They nearly killed my baby girl.”

Another.

“They never should’ve given me something to love.”

Another.

“She’ll never dance again.”

Sarah walked away from where she’d been listening, deep into the Labyrinth. No one deserved to have a stranger intrude on their grief.

-!-

She returned a day later to find a sober Jareth standing alone outside the castle gate. She bowed slightly at the sight of him. Twizzle had been giving her etiquette lessons and she was always careful to abide by them. She never gave him more or less than what was expected of her, except when it came to her eyes. No matter the situation, no matter how much she must bow, she never broke eye contact with him. She had gone through life trying to see the best, trying to see other ways, but not now. Now she saw things as they were.

And if seeing Jareth’s eye twitch (just a little) every time she genuflected gave her a thrill of satisfaction, then all the more reason to do so.

She was just giving him his proper respect after all.

“I have a task for you,” Jareth said.

“A task, Majesty?” Sarah repeated. She was expected to reply after all, must use her best manners. She wouldn’t lie to herself. If she couldn’t fall into his arms and soak up his warmth, then she will freeze him with good manners. It was her last shield after he’d broken down all the others. 

“If you should succeed I shall consider this a replacement to your run through the Labyrinth. You would be able to return to the above.”

This was it. This was his loophole. It had taken time to convince the Labyrinth of the benefits of his plan but he had eventually succeeded, and Gwyn ap Lugh’s askance for help provided him with the opportunity.

“What’s the catch?” Sarah demanded. Manners hang and be damned this was what she had only _dreamed_ of. And she knew the dangers of Goblin Kings offering to fulfill dreams. “I succeed only to crumble to dust? One last act of revenge by the Goblin King?”

“I have no need to enact revenge against you, Sarah. Not anymore. There would be no tricks, no traps. You would be free to return home, to your Toby. You would appear just as you are now and will age with the world.”

“What would I have to do?” Alarm shot through her. “Would I have to hurt someone?”

“No, Sarah, no. Just the opposite. I want you to go and help someone. You know about Gwyn ap Lugh’s daughter, yes?” Sarah nodded. “She has been found alive, and her father has requested I help bring her abusers to justice. That is what I want you to do.”

“I can’t just go and behead someone!” Sarah protested. Well, she could, if she was being truly honest. It might take a while and she would need a very sharp blade but she could do it.

She was desperate enough to.

And from the sounds of it, these men truly deserved it.

No, vigilantism bad, Sarah!

Jareth chuckled at her. “No violence, I promise. All you have to do is deliver a truth spell, and be sure that they _use it_.”

Sarah stared at him.

“And that’s it? That’s all I have to do?”

“Why? Would you like something more complicated?” Jareth smirked. “I can do that if you like. Wrestle the wendigo? Win a race against the mermaids? Steal the scale of a sleeping dragon?”

“No, no, I can deliver a truth spell!” Hope flared hot and bright. She could go _home_.

“Then do you accept this task? Do you accept the role as my Champion, to bring justice to the wronged children?”

His words held weight, and Sarah answered just as firmly.

“I accept the role as your Champion.”

“Then I shall send you to-” he began to weave the magic to send her to the above.

“Jareth.”

He stopped. He wasn’t sure she’d ever used his name to his face before.

“Yes, Sarah?”

“This is the kindest, most generous thing you have ever done for me. And this, more than anything else, I will cherish and hold close to my heart.”

Her big green eyes stared right at him, cruel in their utter sincerity.

He finished the magic and sent her onward, choking on her loss.

-!-

The world reformed into two large wooden doors and marble floors. Sarah closed her eyes took deep breaths to calm herself. Each breath she took convinced her she was truly in the Above. She could smell coffee as high powered people walked by. There was a washroom nearby, she could hear the dryer. If she opened her eyes she knew the colours would be muted, none of the bright and vibrant hues of the labyrinth. Even the stone of the castle had more warmth than these marble halls.

She wasn’t sure why she was having these thoughts. The Above was her _home_ and she’d missed it.

She steadied her mind, ignoring the clogging in her throat. She couldn’t help but feel like she would never see Jareth again and it _hurt_.

No, she said to herself. Think of Toby, think of Jesse. He has given you this gift, the chance to see them again, _do not squander it with what ifs._

The shadow to her right chittered.

Of course, she was in the Above, her shadow friends were back. Sarah rolled her eyes behind closed lids, _old news_.

When she opened her eyes again she realised Jareth had done more than simply transport her. She was his Champion and he’s dressed her as such.

A simple gown of dark blue with long sleeves, a stylised corset of armour and a dramatic cloak. The inner lining was covered in stars. He’d dressed her in his colours she noticed, a softer version of the armour he wore when she was fifteen.

Letting her go and staking a claim all at once. _How typically contrary of him_ , she thought fondly.  

She flicked up the hood, shielding her face from view and faced forward.

She could do this. She would succeed. She would hold Toby again. She would be a better sister to Jesse.

She threw open the heavy doors and strode into the courtroom.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made a few changes to Chapter 9, go back to see the extended chat between Zee and Sarah. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! Just the last chapter to go!
> 
> Much hugs,
> 
> LizzieHopscotch


	11. Chapter 11

Judge Montague was talking as she walked in. They didn’t look in her direction, but the spectators before her watched the hooded and cloaked figure move. For once, Sarah was enjoying Jareth’s flare for the dramatic. She kept her eyes forward and away from the audience, all the more to appear cold and above.

All too quickly she came to the gate separating the courtroom. There she stood and waited.

And waited.

The Judge loved the sound of his voice, talking about justice, and the right thing, and the solid responsibility of the jurors. He hadn’t even noticed his visitor yet, enamoured as he was with himself.

While he talked on Sarah reviewed everything she knew and had learned from Robert. It had been such a long time since she’d had cause to think of her lawyer stepfather, but she still remembered some of the things he’d taught her. One of those was to be respectful in the courtroom, until it was time to lose that veneer of civility and wield facts like weapons.

Minutes passed and Sarah came to a conclusion.

Judge Montague had definitely seen her, and was definitely ignoring her.

Rude.

“Excuse me, your Honour, but may I approach?” she called out.

“No you may not. Sit down or be held in contempt,” the Judge replied.

“I really must insist.” Sarah pushed.

“Bailiffs! Remove this woman, immediately.” Judge Montague, for all his faults, ran a tight courtroom, and did not appreciate being interrupted.

“Your Honour! I come on behalf of the Fae. Surely as this case pertains to them _and their children_ , you will allow me to be heard. Opening statements have just begun, the proceedings have hardly reached the point of no return,”

Montague peered at her through half rim glasses.

“What Fae do you represent?” he sighed. She was just not going to leave.

Sarah lost the hood, defiantly ignoring the bailiffs moving around her.

“I come on behalf of one whose eldest and most beloved title is the Protector of All Children. He has sent me, as in accordance with the Wright Act of 2004, in cases involving the Fae, they have to right to submit magical means in order to ensure fair trial.”

“You would say this court is corrupt?” the judge cried, outraged.

“Your Honour! This is ridiculous! This girl has clearly been hired by the prosecution to distract from the proceedings!” the defence interrupted Sarah’s reply.

“Sir, the law to which I refer has been ratified and used several times over. There is precedent to my presence, and your aspersions on my character are not appreciated.” She turned from the stuttering lawyer and faced the Judge once more.

“I do not come to cry corruption, but I would say that the limits placed on Faekind would not be amiss here. Please, your Honour, I ask again. May I approach?”

Montague let out a gust of breath. “Fine, fine. Come here, girl.”

“Thank you your Honour.” She stepped through the gate. “My name is Sarah Williams. I bring with me a gift.”

She reached into the folds of her cloak, and revealed the perfect crystal orb.

“And what does that do?”  

“This? It simply tells the truth. Or rather, it verifies your truth,” Sarah explained. “The Fae, as I’m sure you are aware, are unable to lie. This is not a trait shared by humans, so this crystal will show when a lie is told,”

“And I suppose all we have is your word for this?” the defence sneered.

“I can prove it, if you would like,” Sarah replied calmly. These guys had nothing on Jareth on a bad day, piece of cake. She turned to the prosecution. “If you would both like to step forward to the bench?”

“It would be my pleasure,” the prosecution, a Mary Chapman, smiled. The appearance of this girl was the best thing to happen in this trial in her opinion. The defence was full of snakes and funded by a Senator. They would not play fair.

Sarah waited until the three of them were in place before the Judge’s bench.

“Now, all someone has to do is place the crystal in the room, and begin to speak.” She paused. “I have two siblings.”

“What-?”

The Crystal sparkled with brightly coloured lights.

“My eyes are blue.”

Foul smoke replaced the lights.

“Do you see the differences?” Sarah asked. The three nodded. “Do you accept its usage?”

“The prosecution has no issues with it,” said Chapman, practically vibrating with optimism.

“This is ridiculous!” said her counterpart Jeffries. “It turns this entire court room into a circus!”

“Your Honour,” Sarah jumped in before he could continue. “This is a sensitive case. You have seen the files, both the known and unknown victims. It is a political quagmire, and I am sure that when you woke up this morning you were dreading putting on those robes. But please, allow this crystal to be used. Let it lend _clarity_ to a case rife with holes and smoke screens.

I said before, the one I represent is the Protector of Children, and they more than any other have been affected by the actions of Les Heuter (“Alleged!”). You owe it to them to use _every_ tool available to you.”

Montague stared hard at the girl. What she had said wasn’t wrong, this wasn’t a case he looked forward to trying. Werewolves, fae, witches. The trial was already a damn circus before she appeared.

“I will allow this,” Montague said slowly. “Such an instrument can only be beneficial in this case, and I see no reason to deny it.”

Jeffries snorted and stomped back to his bench, while Chapman smiled at Sarah, and invited her to sit with them.

Sarah hesitated. She wasn’t sure if that would be right as it would be showing favouritism, but then, Jareth had asked her to get justice. And she trusted Chapman to do that.

Without the crystal Sarah was certain that the trial would take months. With it however, lies were easily seen and truths were unmistakable. Sarah winced when Lizzie Beauclaire took the stand. It was brutal. Chapman was gentle as she asked questions, coaxing Lizzie through her ordeal. With every spark of light Sarah winced inwardly.

Then Jeffries took over.

He tried to use her Fae heritage against her, to make her less than human. Chapman objected continuously and Montague agreed, but there was nothing that could stop him placing such ideas in the minds of the jury. It all came to a head though, when Lizzie lost her temper.

“It shouldn’t matter! I am a _person_ , and _I did not deserve this_!”

The crystal exploded with the brightest fireworks yet.

Lizzie stared at it.

“I did not deserve this?” she repeated, heart in her throat.

The lights simply confirmed it.

Anna Latham spoke, then Agent Goldstein and then Charles Cornick. None of them had been caught in lies, the crystal affirming everything.

Jeffries tried to explain this away, that clearly the crystal was malfunctioning, that truth was subjective. Sarah was called forward to explain it all once more.

“The crystal does not respond to what you believe as truth,” Sarah said slowly. “It responds to Truth as the universe recognises it.”

“So it’s simply a party trick and really has no place here.”

“If you doubt it, sir, then please test it for yourself,” Sarah gestured towards it. “Tell a truth and tell a lie, see what happens.”

“My eyes are brown,” Jeffries said and the crystal fogged up in front of his blue ones.

“It doesn’t appear to be faulty,” Montague said. “Would you like to take a moment with your client?”

Jeffries looked behind him to meet Heuter’s eyes. Heuter showed no outward reaction, but Sarah liked to think she could hear him screaming obscenities inside.

“No, your Honour.”

“Then we shall continue, please take your seats. And Jeffries, please try and refrain from baseless accusations.”

“Of course, your Honour.”

Sarah sat down once more, tension along her spine. Robert had warned her about men like Jeffries. He had said that defence lawyers like him, the ones who represented the worst of humanity, usually fell into two types. The idealistic ones who truly believed everyone deserved representation, and the ones who sold their souls for a pay check.

Jeffries fell into the latter character.

He began by recalling Charles Cornick, parading out pictures of Benedict Heuter’s body. Then he called Les Heuter up and started to spin the tale of a neglected childhood, a twisted uncle and hapless cousin. The crystal sparked as he spoke, and Sarah felt pity for the boy Les had once been.

But none for the man.

Chapman asked him one question and one only.

“Mrs. Latham has given testimony to the things she overheard you and your cousin Benedict spoke of while she was in captivity. I simply ask – did you do any of those things?”

“My uncle and Benedict did-”

“But did _you,_ Mr Heuter?”

“It wasn’t like-”

“Yes or no, Mr Heuter.”

“No.”

The crystal filled with dark smoke. The courtroom erupted in shocked murmurs and gasps. It struck Sarah then, that no one had actually wanted to believe that this well-groomed senator’s son was capable of such heinous acts.

“No further questions, your Honour.”

The trial moved quickly after that. What else was there to say after Les Heuter’s lies were revealed. Closing statements were given, but Montague still had something further to say.

“Members of the jury, today you have been faced with some of the most disturbing events in Boston’s history. You have witnessed feats of magic and heard testimony from Fae, Werewolf and Human alike. But you must put away from your mind the sensational nature of these crimes and instead focus on one question. Has the prosecution proven, beyond reasonable doubt, that Les Heuter is guilty of them.”

The jury dismissed, the courtroom emptied. Chapman clapped Sarah on the shoulder, telling her that her help had been greatly appreciated, before moving on. The girl sighed and gathered her cloak around her, feeling like a fantasy damsel in distress. She headed out slowly, unsure of where to go.

“Lady Sarah,” said a soft voice to her side. She looked up in shock, not expecting the honorific in the Above.

“Hello,” she replied just as softly, bowing her head in respect. She knew this man even though they had never been formally introduced.

“I am Alistair Beauclaire,” he continued. “Please, come and join us,”

“That is very kind of you sir,”

She followed him along the corridor, to where his daughter, ex wife and the two werewolves were waiting.

“Everyone, this is the Lady Sarah – Champion of the Labyrinth,”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Anna. Her husband stared intently at Sarah, and she belatedly realised that this man may know of her connection to Adam.

“I know who you are,” he rumbled. “They miss you,”

Sarah flinched. Here she was in the Above and she had made no effort to call her family. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to hear their voices, but she also knew that to call them now would give false hope.

Justice had yet to be served, and Jareth could yank her back at any time.

“And I them,” she replied quietly. “How long as it been?”

She was afraid of the answer.

“You’ve been gone for six months.”

“Six months?” Sarah repeated. “It feels longer,”

-!-

Sarah met them again on the court steps.

The jury had returned after six hours of deliberation with a unanimous verdict of guilty. Jeffries had immediately broken out into promises of investigation and appeal, moving for a mistrial due to the interference of the Fae. Sarah doubted Heuter heard any of it.

Instead he broke out into a spitting diatribe of hate against anyone and everyone. Even Sarah, who thanks to Christy’s questionable taste in men, didn’t recognise half the words used. She didn’t really want to be able to anyway.

Jeffries shut up after that.

Out in the bright sunshine the case and its horrific details seemed a little farther away, but every time she saw Lizzie leaning on her crutches she was reminded that it was still very close.

“Lizzie,” Sarah hesitated, but she had the girl’s attention now and there was no going back.

“I have a present for you-”

“Is it anything like Jareth’s?” Alistair interrupted. He knew of his friend’s love of tricks, and while he doubted it would be meant maliciously, he wouldn’t put is past him to ask Sarah to deliver an ill-timed well-meaning trick.  

“What? No! This isn’t from the Goblin King, it’s from me,” Sarah protested. Alistair settled, but kept an eye on her as she reached into the folds of her cloak. She didn’t know how Jareth knew she had it or to place it in the cloak.

But then he always knew her better than she thought.

She drew out the vial from the pocket, a perfect teardrop of coloured glass.

“It’s water from the mermaid grotto in the Labyrinth.” Even Charles’ eyebrows rose at that. As far as he knew no one had emerged alive from that place in centuries, certainly no human.

“What does it do?” Lizzie asked curiously.

“It will help your legs,” Sarah explained. “But I must warn you, it will hurt. It’ll feel like your legs are on fire while being eaten by wild animals. That’s what the matron in the grotto told me, anyway. It’s your choice though,”

“Magic healing water…from mermaids?” her mother said dubiously.

“The story of the Little Mermaid didn’t just pop out of nowhere,”

“In that story, the mermaid was in pain every time she took a step,” Anna pointed out.

“Not with this,” Sarah cut in. “I asked the same question, and they told me that it was a form of punishment, for stealing the water. This was freely given, and as such there would be no pain past the initial healing.”

“You swear?” said Lizzie.

“I swear,” Sarah said solemnly. “You will dance again,”

“Dad?” Lizzie asked. He would know if the girl casually offering her a daydream was worth trusting.

“I have never heard of Sarah Williams, being anything less than honourable. And if this works, then I would owe her a great deal,”

“I don’t do this for you. This is not an attempt to curry favour. I represent _Jareth_ , Gwyn ap Lugh!” Sarah couldn’t believe she was doing this but she couldn’t stop now. “You know his stance on harming children, which _Lizzie_ most assuredly is, and what would make you think my views are any different? I wouldn’t offer this to her if I thought it would do any harm!”

Alistair looked at his daughter. “It’s your choice Lizzie, whatever it is, I will support it.”

The unspoken threat lay between him and Sarah.

Sarah handed over the vial, and Lizzie cradled it to her chest.

“Well I’d consider that a job well done all round,” Jareth clapped slowly. He swaggered towards the group. “Well Sarah, haven’t you been productive?”

“I have done as you asked, Majesty,”

“Yes you have. Marvellously done Sarah,” he ignored the growling wolf and his mate. They were not the important thing here. Not even Alistair and his daughter mattered right now.

“It’s kind of you to say,”

“Hm, yes, it is.”

Sarah stared up at him, waiting.

The words were like shards of glass in his throat.

“You may return home,” Jareth said. he took her hand within his and kissed it gently. “May your life be blessed.”

“And yours,” Sarah returned.

“Ah, precious, without you there is little chance of that.”

And then he was gone, leaving Sarah’s hand empty and cold.

-!-

Charles and Anna insisted on flying her back to the Tri-Cities. Standing outside the house in Finley she hesitated on knocking. Six months…would Toby recognise her? Would Jesse want to see her again? Would any of them? This entire mess was her fault, she wished her brother away she didn’t deserve to be a big sister or just an ounce of Toby’s love she should leave she should leave right now this was such a bad idea-

The door opened.

Jesse pounced on Sarah, hugging her so tight Sarah could barely breathe. Dimly she heard Charles and Anna greeting Adam and Mercy, but all she could focus on was Jesse’s arms around her, and Toby’s small hands pulling at the hem of her dress.

It was weeks later, after the sleepless nights watching Toby making sure that he wouldn’t vanish like smoke, after feeling like she was walking on eggshells, and after Mercy got Samuel to drug her to make her sleep, that she realised.

What no one knew, not Sarah, not Jareth, no one, was that the Labyrinth had refused to release its hold on Sarah. She walked there in her dreams, through the hedge maze and the bog, the mermaid grotto and the Firey forest. Each night her dreams would bring her closer and closer to the centre of the Labyrinth. She ignored it at first, willing her feet away from the castle and deeper into the Labyrinth itself.

Eventually the ache in her chest became too much, and she took the last steps into the castle beyond the goblin city.

“Hello, Sarah.”

“Hello, Jareth.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> I FINISHED IT OH GOD OH DEAR LORD IT IS OVER AND ITS NOT EVEN THAT LONG??? DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN SINCE I FINISHED A THING? YEAH GO ME!
> 
> Anyway! I hope you enjoyed it and liked the ending. I may write more, but in all honesty I probably won't. At least not for this fic. So I guess you guys can decided where it goes from here.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Much hugs,
> 
> LizzieHopscotch


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